Bayer India develops fungicide for grapes

It will also benefit grape growers to maintain the health and freshness of grapes for a longer time by protecting against latent diseases, Bayer said

Bayer India’s Crop Science Division has developed Luna Experience a new fungicide for grapes that is expected to help increase yield.

“With Luna, grape growers can achieve excellent harvest quality, while minimising post-harvest losses. Moreover, Luna will benefit grape exporters as it will maintain the health and freshness of grapes for a longer time by protecting against latent diseases. Ultimately, end-consumers will benefit from a large variety of high-quality fresh produce,” said Peter Mueller, head of South Asia, Bayer Crop Science Division.

Luna Experience is used for table grapes in several countries and has seen commercial success in South Africa, Italy, the USA and Chile. In India, the product is being introduced with claims that it can fight powdery mildew and anthracnose for grapes

According to Bayer India, field trials have shown excellent results for fruit quality and disease management and it has been recommended to farmers as an effective product for protection against powdery mildew by the National Research Center for Grapes.  However, farmers in Maharashtra are in no hurry, considering previous experiences with similar products of other companies.

"It is too early to comment on the results. We will take few trials of Luna in the fields and if the results are satisfactory, we will continue with it. We have used similar products in the past, but the results are not satisfactory," said Pankaj Khpare, a grape grower from Nashik in Maharashtra.   

The total area under grape cultivation in Maharashtra is around 400,000 acres, of which, 98 per cent are table grapes, and the rest are wine varieties. Last season the crop was affected because of un-seasonal rain and hailstorm.