A. K. Ahuja

Behaviour of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole on grapes under semi-arid tropical climatic conditions

BACKGROUND A mixture of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole is excellent in controlling both powdery and downy mildew of grapes. The objective of the present work was to study the behaviour of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole on grape berries and soil following treatment with Nativo 75 WG, a formulation containing both fungicides (trifloxystrobin 250 + tebuconazole 500 g kg(-1)). This study was carried out for planned registration of this mixture for use on grapes in India. RESULTS Initial residue deposits of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole on grapes were below their maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.5 and 2 mg kg(-1), respectively, when Nativo 75 WG was applied at the recommended dose of 175 g product ha(-1). The residues dissipated gradually to 0.02 and 0.05 mg kg(-1) by 30 days, and were below the quantifiable limit of 0.01 mg kg(-1) at the time of harvest (60 days after the last treatment). Trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole dissipated at a pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 36 and 34 days, respectively, from the recommended treatment dose. The acid metabolite of trifloxystrobin, CGA 321 113, was not detected in grape berries at any point in time. Soil at harvest was free of any pesticide residues. CONCLUSION Residue levels of both trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole were below MRLs when grapes were harvested 30 days after the last of four applications of 175 g product ha(-1) (trifloxystrobin 44 g AI ha(-1), tebuconazole 88 g AI ha(-1)) under the semi-arid tropical climatic conditions of India.