Luna^® Sensation improves disease control and flexibility in stone fruit industry

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Victoria’s Murray Valley is known as a premium stone and pome fruit growing region, with fresh, clear water from the Murray River and fertile ground creating ideal growing conditions for top quality fruit.

However, the region does tend to receive some summer rain, meaning managing disease pressure is always high on the agenda. A top priority for agronomists like Cameron Forrest, from IK Caldwell in Cobram, is management of brown rot in stone fruit.

Image: Cameron Forrest, IK Caldwell, Cobram

“We have a very proactive approach to our disease management strategy, starting pre-planning in winter,” Mr Forrest explains. “We might adjust the program as the season progresses, depending on weather conditions, but the overall focus is preventative, because we don’t have viable curative chemistry at our disposal.”

Mr Forrest has been involved with Luna^® Sensation from Bayer since before the product was first registered in 2015. With a dual mode of action, including Group 7 (fluopyram) and trifloxystrobin (Group 11), the product has a broad spectrum of activity to control significant fungal diseases in stone fruit, such as blossom blight and brown rot. 

“In the early days of Luna Sensation, we were asked by Bayer to organise some trial blocks through this area to help with registration, and from those we realised Luna Sensation was working very well on brown rot,” he explains. 

“From those early days, the use of Luna Sensation has taken off to the extent now that my clients are using it on their brown rot susceptible varieties and in other varieties when weather conditions favour brown rot outbreaks.”

One such operation is Mattina Orchards at Yarroweyah, where Vic Mustica has been Orchard Manager for more than a decade.

Image: Vic Mustica, Mattina Orchards, Yarroweyah

The 300-hectare property includes four locations, with production of a variety of stone fruit and some pome fruit, including peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots, plus some apples and pears.

All produce comes back to the Mattina Fresh packing shed, is packed to stringent quality control standards, and then shipped across Australia to all major supermarkets and some export markets. 

“We deal with brown rot issues throughout the season, depending on conditions,” Mr Mustica explains. “So, three years ago (2015), we did some trials with Luna Sensation on a couple of varieties, and we noticed some good results. As the year went by, it was clear that the product performs exceptionally well.” 

“We’ve been using Luna Sensation ever since, with fantastic preventative results in the orchard, and it’s paying off in the pack house. We don’t have as much of a waste issue due to rot.”

In terms of farm operations, Mr Mustica has found the compatibility of Luna Sensation to be good - by being able to mix it with many other chemicals, he’s saving time on the sprayer.

The product has a 14-day withholding period for almonds, apples and pears, and a one-day withholding period for stone fruit, which Mr Mustica has found to be extremely beneficial, giving the ability to apply the product in-between harvests if required. 

“We generally wait five days between harvests, but technically we could apply Luna Sensation and still harvest that stone fruit crop in 24 hours, so it’s quite good for that reason.”

Cameron Forrest agrees, saying the withholding period is critical for growers demanding flexibility during harvest.

“If we did happen to receive a storm close to harvest or between picks, growers can spray Luna Sensation, knowing they can harvest in 24 hours,” he explains.

“Another benefit of Luna Sensation is that it cleans up the disease in the orchard so well we’re seeing stone fruit stay firmer, last longer and not break down in storage. 

“This is giving my clients the added benefit of having the ability to store their fruit for longer, creating more flexibility in marketing.

“There was a lot of fruit on the market in January 2018, so growers that treated their crops with Luna Sensation were able to hold their fruit for longer without having any wastage and that made a lot of difference to their bottom line this season.”

Moving forward, Mr Forrest says it’s extremely important to look after effective products such as Luna Sensation, by rotating chemistry to change the mode of action on individual blocks.

“Under the Luna Sensation stewardship program, there’s a strong focus on resistance management, so we only use three sprays of Luna Sensation per season, per crop,” he says.

“In stone fruit, I target key periods in the brown rot and blossom blight disease cycle, so we plan to do one Luna Sensation application during flowering for blossom blight. 

“We then have two sprays left for brown rot leading up to harvest, so depending on the weather leading up to harvest, we plan to apply Luna Sensation three to four weeks before harvest, and then again between one week to one day before harvest.

“We are required to break two sprays with another mode of action, so by applying one spray during bloom and then changing the mode of action, we can then use Luna Sensation leading up to harvest. It’s a very robust resistance management program, ensuring the longevity of Luna Sensation.”

Before Luna Sensation was registered, Mr Forrest says they had limited chemistry for brown rot control leading up to harvest, with the disease showing resistance to the older groups of chemistry on the market.

“Growers were leaning towards varieties with higher brix levels, which were more prone to brown rot. It got to the stage with limited chemical options, that there were going to be decisions made as to whether those varieties were going to be pulled out,” Mr Forrest recalls. 

“However, Luna Sensation has come along and worked so well that those varieties are staying in the ground and more growers are confidently planting them now, so that’s a great thing for consumers who enjoy sweet stone fruit, and the industry I believe.

“Luna Sensation is here to stay. I believe it has a great fit in a stone fruit fungicide program. It’s working very effectively on blossom blight and brown rot, and I’ll be recommending it for years to come.”