Kasumin for California pome fruit used for fire blight

California pome fruit growers recently gained a much-needed product to help fight against fire blight: Kasumin Bactericide. Arysta LifeScience announces that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has granted registration for the use of Kasumin on apple and pear crops in California. Arysta LifeScience anticipates walnuts and cherries to be added in the coming months.

“The addition of KAasumin, with its unique mode of action, is a boost to apple and pear growers battling Fire blight,” said David Davies, U.S. Herbicides & Fungicides Marketing Manager, Arysta LifeScience. “Kasumin is an effective tool to help fight this destructive disease, including streptomycin-resistant isolates in apples and pears.”

Fire blight is a disease that can spread through an orchard quickly and negatively impact tree health and yield. Unchecked, the disease can kill fruit trees. The threat of infection is always present on apples and pears, although it fluctuates due to weather and other factors.

Kasugamycin, the active ingredient in Kasumin, features a high level of preventive activity, making it effective on a wide array of plant pathogenic bacteria, including Fire blight. Kasumin is available as a liquid formulation, and field testing has shown it can be easily tank-mixed with other fungicides to increase the spectrum of disease control.

Arysta LifeScience recommends Kasumin as part of a sound resistance management program. Kasumin is most effective when it is incorporated in a rotation program. The product shows no cross-resistance to other bactericides, and it features a 12-hour restricted-entry interval (REI) and 90-day pre-harvest interval (PHI).

“Fire blight and other bacterial diseases can be economically devastating to an orchard grower’s operation if not effectively managed,” added Davies. “Kasumin gives growers a new tool to control bacterial diseases – including resistant strains – by targeting a different site of action from other bactericides to protect tree health and yields.”

For more information on Kasumin and future label additions for walnuts and cherries in California, visit www.arysta-na.com.