Pristine works well for me, but it’s very expensive and only one of its two ingredients works well against brown rot- although the other works against scab.
Here’s a quick search from CHAT which I found interesting. Indar is no longer the the most affective compound as assessed here. I’ve been aware of Lunar Sensation for a while but never priced it. Unfortunately, not only are the new products significantly more expensive than Indar but you cannot buy them without a license.
Are their any new products as or nearly as effective as Indar- of any class?
ChatGPT said:
Yes — several newer fungicides match or even exceed the effectiveness of Indar (fenbuconazole, a Group 3 sterol inhibitor) against brown rot on stone fruit. These often include modern SDHI–QoI mixture products that offer powerful control even where Indar is less effective.
Top-performing alternatives to Indar
Merivon (fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin — FRAC 7+11)
- A premium premix combining an SDHI and a strobilurin.
- Has demonstrated excellent control of brown rot in trials even on SI-resistant Monilinia isolates cfgrower.com+10canr.msu.edu+10fruit.wisc.edu+10canr.msu.edu+2growingproduce.com+2fff.hort.purdue.edu+2.
- Often rated “Excellent”, better than Indar’s “good” level in some studies growingfruit.org.
Luna Sensation (fluopyram + trifloxystrobin — FRAC 7+11)
- Another high-performing SDHI + QoI premix labeled for stone fruit.
- Demonstrated control comparable or superior to Indar in field results canr.msu.eduplant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edugrowingproduce.com.
- Proven effective even in orchards with reduced sensitivity to Group 3 fungicides reddit.com+7canr.msu.edu+7onfruit.ca+7.
Miravis Duo / Luna Flex / Quadris Top (FRAC 3+7 or 3+11 premixes)
- Combines DMI (Group 3) fungicides with newer MOA groups:
- Miravis Duo: difenoconazole + pydiflumetofen (3+7)
- Luna Flex: difenoconazole + fluopyram (3+7)
- Quadris Top: difenoconazole + azoxystrobin (3+11)
- Offers strong efficacy comparable to Indar, especially when rotated properly within a spray program canr.msu.edu+6growingproduce.com+6fruit.wisc.edu+6.
Cevya (mefentrifluconazole — FRAC 3)
- A newer-generation DMI (Group 3) that has shown similar control to traditional SI fungicides, even in resistant situations when used at high rates onfruit.cafff.hort.purdue.edu.
At-a-glance comparison
| Fungicide / Product | Mode of Action | Brown Rot Efficacy | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indar (fenbuconazole) | FRAC 3 DMI | Good to very good | Standard SI we’re comparing against |
| Merivon | FRAC 7+11 SDHI+QoI | Excellent | Superior residual control, effective on SI-resistant strains |
| Luna Sensation | FRAC 7+11 SDHI+QoI | Excellent | Similar performance, low PHI |
| Miravis Duo / Luna Flex / Quadris Top | FRAC 3+7 or 3+11 | Very good to excellent | Flexible rotation mixes including a DMI |
| Cevya (mefentrifluconazole) | FRAC 3 DMI | Good to very good (at recommended high rate) | Newer SI with robust performance |