Update on Luna fungicides for grapes and berry crops

Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State University Extension, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences - May 10, 2016

Recent changes to the Luna fungicide labels for grapes and berry crops are discussed and summarized.

The Luna series of fungicides by Bayer all have one active ingredient in common, fluopyram, which is a systemic fungicide belonging to the succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) class of fungicides. This group of fungicides has been assigned to group 7 by the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) based on their mode of action, which involves interference in fungal respiration. Other fungicides belonging to this class are boscalid (Endura and one of the active ingredients in Pristine), penthiopyrad (Fontelis), fluxapyroxad (Merivon) and isofetamid (Kenja). The SDHIs have a medium to high risk of resistance development in target fungi, thus fungicide resistance management is needed when using these products.

There are several premixes of fluopyram with other systemic active ingredients: Luna Experience (fluopyram plus tebuconazole), Luna Tranquillity (fluopyram plus pyrimethanil) and Luna Sensation (fluopyram plus trifloxystrobin). Premixes generally have a broader spectrum of activity than single compounds. The benefits for fungicide resistance management are debatable. What is clear is that if one of the components of the premix does not work anymore due to fungicide resistance in the field, you may be wasting your money and increasing disease risk.

Luna Tranquility used in wine grapes was cancelled last year due to a potential negative effect seen on fruit set in Europe. However, Luna Experience is still available for grapes. Several supplemental labels have been released recently. The three products and their uses are summarized in the table below. Please note that application rates may differ by disease. Fungicide labels and material safety data sheets can be accessed on CDMS.net.

Summary of Luna products and their uses
Product	Active ingredients	*FRAC code**	Crop/disease on label	PHI	Comments
Luna Experience	fluopyram + tebuconazole	7 + 3	Grape: Powdery mildew, Botrytis, Black rot, Sour rot Suppression of: Phomopsis cane and leaf spot	14 days	REI = 12 hours for most uses but five days for cane tying in grapes. Apply no more than 34 fluid ounces product, 0.446 pounds fluopyram or 0.9 pounds tebuconazole per acre per year. Make no more than two sequential applications of a group 7 or 3 fungicide.
Luna Tranquility	fluopyram + pyrimethanil	7 + 9	Strawberry: Powdery mildew, Botrytis gray mold Suppression of: Rhizopus fruit rot, Phomopsis leaf blight and fruit rot, common leaf spot	1 day	Also labeled for lingonberry, juneberry, gooseberry, currants, aronia and edible honeysuckle. REI = 12 hours. Apply no more than 54.7 fluid ounces product, 0.446 pounds fluopyram or 2.1 pounds pyrimethanil per acre per year. Make no more than two sequential applications of a group 7 or 9 fungicide.
			Blueberry:** Botrytis gray mold, powdery mildew, mummy berry, Alternaria fruit rot, Septoria leaf spot	0 days
			Raspberry/blackberry:** Botrytis gray mold, Powdery mildew, Septoria leaf spot	0 days
Luna Sensation	fluopyram + trifloxystrobin	7 + 11	Strawberry: Powdery mildew, Anthracnose fruit rot, Phomopsis leaf blight and fruit rot, Botrytis gray mold. Suppression of: Rhizopus fruit rot, common leaf spot	0 days	REI = 12 hours Apply no more than 27.3 fluid ounces product, 0.446 pounds fluopyram or 0.6 pounds trifloxystrobin per acre per year. Make no more than two sequential applications of a group 7 or 11 fungicide.

*FRAC = Fungicide Resistance Action Committee. Fungicides with the same number share the same mode of action.
** These products have received limited efficacy testing on blueberries and raspberries in Michigan.

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

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).