Monday, November 30, 2009

New OMRI Approved fungicide

Many WNC producers battled this year with foliar diseases on their vegetable crops. Because of our wet season, we not only had trouble with bacterial spots on our peppers and tomatoes and downy mildew on cucurbits, but also the dreaded late blight on tomatoes.

There is a new material that organic and conventional growers can add to their toolbox for control of some of theses problems.

Marrone, Bio Innovations has just received their Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) registration for Regalia. Regalia is a bio fungicide made from an extract of Reynoutria sachalinensis, giant knotweed. Regalia activates the internal defense system of the host plant that prevents the growth of some foliar pathogens, such as powdery mildews, gray molds and even some bacterial pathogens. You can read the press release from Marrone here.

Disclaimer: Because this material is so new, I don't know if Regalia has been tested at NCSU efficacy trials or how well it will work for us here in WNC.

Has anyone tried Regalia, yet?

No comments: