QuiltXcel: a new fungicide for berry crops

While not yet tested in Michigan, this new product’s active ingredients have been evaluated for many years and have proven to be very effective against several diseases.

QuiltXcel is a new fungicide for blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, juneberries (saskatoonberries), currants, gooseberries, and lingonberries. It has a cranberry label but this is valid only in Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. The fungicide is also labeled for stone fruit. Quilt Xcel has systemic and curative properties. This fungicide is a pre-mix of two known active ingredients, namely azoxystrobin (Abound: group 11 fungicides) and propiconazole (Orbit: group 3 fungicide). As a pre-mix, this fungicide will have a broader spectrum of activity than either fungicide alone. While we have not tested this product in Michigan, the active ingredients have been evaluated for many years and both have proved to be very effective against a number of diseases. The following diseases are listed on the label

  • Forbushberries: mummy berry, Septoria leaf spot, powdery mildew, Phomopsis twig blight, Botryosphaeria canker, rust
  • Forcaneberries: rust, leaf and cane spot, powdery mildew, cane anthracnose, rosette or double blossom
  • Forcranberries: cotton ball
  • Forstrawberries: anthracnose, leaf spot, powdery mildew and leaf rust.

Do not use QuiltXcel in nurseries, greenhouses or landscape plantings.

The application rate is 14-21 fl oz/acre for all berry crops, other than strawberries for which the application rate is 14 fl oz/acre. The application interval is 7-14 days, depending on the disease and environmental conditions. Thorough coverage is necessary to provide good disease control. Do not apply more than two consecutive sprays before switching to a fungicide with a different mode of action (not group 3 or 11 fungicides). The maximum application rate of QuiltXcel per acre per season is: 82 fl oz for bushberries, 105 fl oz for caneberries, and 56 fl oz for strawberries. The restricted entry interval is 12 hours, and the pre-harvest interval is 30 days in bushberries and caneberries and 0 days in strawberries.

Quilt Xcel is extremely phytotoxic to certain apple varieties. Do not spray Quilt Xcel where spray drift may reach apple trees. Quilt Xcel Fungicide may have phytotoxic effects when mixed with products that are formulated as ECs. These effects are enhanced if applications are made under cool, cloudy conditions that remain for several days following application. In addition, adjuvants that contain some form of silicone can contribute to phytotoxicity.

Care must be taken when spraying QuiltXcel in sensitive watershed areas. Azoxystrobin may be persistent in the soil for several months or longer. Its degradation products can leach through soil to ground water under certain conditions; where the water table is shallow, this may result in ground water contamination. Azoxystrobin and propiconazole are toxic to freshwater and estuarine/marine fish; and azoxystrobin is toxic to aquatic invertebrates. Do not apply directly to water except as specified on this label. Drift and runoff may be hazardous to aquatic organisms in neighboring areas. Do not contaminate water when disposing of equipment washwater or rinsate. Notify state and federal authorities and Syngenta immediately if you observe any adverse environmental effects due to use of this product.

Dr. Schilder's work is funded in part by MSU's AgBioResearch.

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