Effectiveness of isofetamid, a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicide, in the control of grapevine gray mold

Gray mold is an important disease in grapevines in Chile, and its control depends primarily on the use of fungicides with a single-site mode of action. Botrytis cinerea has a high risk of developing resistance against such fungicides. Therefore, novel chemical options are needed to achieve satisfactory control of gray mold. Isofetamid is a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide with a single-site of action that inhibits cellular respiration and appears to be a new option in the chemical treatment against gray mold. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of isofetamid in controlling grapevine gray mold in Chile. Field trials undertaken in three different commercial vineyards showed that isofetamid controls gray mold to a similar extent as fenhexamid. During 2012 and 2013, 10 B. cinerea isolates were obtained from commercial vineyards in central Chile to determine their sensitivity to isofetamid. The median inhibitory concentration of isofetamid varied between 0.3-10.0 mu g mL(-1) and 0.6 to >10 mu g mL(-1) for mycelium and conidia, respectively. The efficacy of isofetamid against B. cinerea in apple bioassays varied between 61-100% and 37.5-100% for mycelium and conidia, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that isofetamid is a highly effective fungicide against B. cinerea.