“When we became aware of Verpixo and its abilities, and its usefulness in the crop, I had every confidence that it would perform as it was intended.”
Strawberries in the Yarra Valley are planted from May to July and also in the summer months and are a long-season crop.
“Management of pests and disease starts very early in the piece,” Mr Frisina said. “These guys are harvesting this crop for about eight months, and, on average, two to three times a week.”
“When we start our crop management program, it is a regular spray and we're looking for control of Botrytis in the first instance and also Powdery mildew.
“It really starts with a sequence of sprays at regular intervals, a seven to ten-day program from early in the season, is really what's required."
He said the length of the season meant it was critical to have different chemistries that could be rotated.
“With an eight-month picking season and a spray every seven to ten days we really do have an ability to exhaust those options and we certainly welcome new options when they come through.”
“Up until about three or four years ago, we were struggling for options. But in recent times we've had some new chemistry released and available for the industry to use against Botrytis and Powdery mildew, which has really, proven useful. We have been able to manage the disease issues well – particularly with the wet springs.”
“When I spoke to growers, we talked about the Holden Commodore and then your Ferrari,” he said. “There is chemistry that we use, that we class as the Ferraris, that are high-grade products with very, very good efficacy.”
“Verpixo is a Testarossa in my book. It really is good. When we know the high-pressure period is coming, that's what we go to. When the conditions are favorable, (dry and mild) we will use the older, less effective chemistry.”
“We've had some very good feedback from growers. It seems to be managing Powdery mildew and Botrytis and they've mixed it with quite a range of products that they're already using so the compatibility has been great.”
“It dries very clean - it doesn't seem to have any residue showing up.”
“The withholding period (one day) is also important for it because the fruit is perishable. It needs to be picked, packed, and off to market the same day. So that one day withholding period gives us flexibility. The second thing is the re-entry period. Being able to enter the crop and harvest the crop once the chemicals dry is really important.”
A need to produce strawberries of the highest quality underlies product decisions for producers in the Yarra Valley.