News & Updates
With grape harvest just around the corner, and limited products available for disease control from now until the end of the season, Syngenta has a new option for growers.
TIMOREX® GOLD is a biorational plant-based fungicide that targets powdery mildew and botrytis. Being a biorational, it is harmless to bees and beneficial insects.
With recent registration in grapes, TIMOREX GOLD can be used close to harvest due to being exempt from maximum residue limits (MRLs) and no chemical residues. This gives growers great flexibility and peace of mind to prevent late season disease development.
“TIMOREX GOLD is a natural tea tree oil extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia – a tea tree native to Australia – manufactured by Stockton and distributed by Syngenta Australia,” said Syngenta Technical Services Lead for Viticulture and Horticulture, Dr Brandy Rawnsley.
“It has broad-spectrum activity and can inhibit various stages of the fungal life cycle, meaning TIMOREX GOLD is capable of targeting both powdery mildew and botrytis during the whole season.”
The formulation comprises terpenes and alcohols which directly disrupt the cell wall and membrane of fungi, inhibiting cellular respiration. Fungi walls are broken down, inhibiting both sporulation and colonisation of the vine.
Having multi-site activity on fungal pathogens, TIMOREX GOLD has been given a unique mode of action code for resistance management—FRAC 46.
“With very low risk of resistance, TIMOREX GOLD perfectly integrates into existing disease spray programs and complements Syngenta’s disease management portfolio, including SWITCH®, THIOVIT JET® and TOPAS®, to offer robust disease management,” Dr Rawnsley said.
“Being compatible with integrated pest management, and organic production systems, TIMOREX GOLD enables complete market access.”
Furthermore, TIMOREX GOLD has a long shelf life up to three years with no need for refrigeration or special conditions for storage.
“With the season coming to an end, TIMOREX GOLD might just be the solution you are looking for to keep grapes disease-free,” Dr Rawnsley said.