Pesticides for Grapevines
Fungicides
Probably the largest numbers of vine diseases are caused by fungi, and the most common chemical tools for the vine disease control are fungicides. Appendix H, Fungicides Registered for Use in Vineyards, list common names (active ingredient) along with trade names of currently registered fungicides in the United States for use on grapes. Fungicides are classified in a number of different ways, which involve the following categories: (1) mobility, (2) mode of action, (3) breadth of activity, and (4) general function. These classes are not discreet—some active ingredients are both preventative and curative. In addition, some fungicides have two active ingredients, one preventative and one curative.
Mobility
Contact Fungicides
Contact fungicides adhere to the leaf surface but do not penetrate the tissue.
Systemic Fungicides
Systemic fungicides are absorbed into the leaf tissue, and then translocate from their point of entry to other tissues.
Mode of Action
One way to classify fungicides is by their chemical structures, or their mode of action (MoA). MoAs serve to describe how a particular chemical or chemical group acts to kill or disable fungi. Fungicides kill fungi by damaging their cell membranes, inactivating critical enzymes or proteins, or by interfering with key processes such as energy production or respiration.
Breadth of Activity
Single-site
Single-site fungicides are active against only one point in one metabolic pathway in a pathogen or against a single critical enzyme or protein needed by the fungus.
Multi-site
Multi-site fungicides have multiple modes of action, so they affect multiple target sites, and simultaneously interfere with numerous metabolic processes of the fungus.
General Function
Protectants
These fungicides, sometimes referred to as preventatives, are applied to form a protective barrier on the vine surface preventing the fungi from successfully penetrating host tissue.
Curatives
Curative fungicides have the ability to inhibit or stop the development of infections which are not showing symptoms.
Click on the following topics for more information on pesticides for grapevines.
