Almond Growers to Get Relief from Bacterial Blast
February 20, 2020 The EPA recently accepted a Section 18 petition to allow the use of KASUMIN (kasugamycin) to control bacterial blast (Pseudomonas sp) in almonds, according to the Almond Board of California (ABC). The time-limited registration allows up to two applications under anticipated cold or freezing conditions on almonds through petal fall, or no later than March 30.
The manufacturer, UPL, said the approval applies to treatment on a maximum of 100,000 acres of almonds in the state, and is limited to the counties of Butte, Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba.
“Bacterial blast can be economically devastating to an orchard grower’s operation if not effectively managed,” said David Davies, Marketing Manager, Specialty Crops, UPL. “The Section 18 approval of KASUMIN will now provide California almond growers with a highly effective tool for controlling bacterial blast by targeting a different site of action to protect tree health, crop quality, and yields.”
Under the Section 18, KASUMIN can be applied up to two times at a use rate of 64 fluid ounces per acre. Application should be made when conditions favor disease development, from bud break to petal fall. Application after petal fall is prohibited.
KASUMIN is already being successfully used in California walnut production for control of walnut blight after receiving federal and state registrations in 2018. As the only member of FRAC Group 24, KASUMIN has a high level of preventative activity on a wide array of plant pathogenic bacteria. Its active ingredient, kasugamycin, has a unique site of activity and mode of action.
The bactericide acts mainly as a preventative and is applied to coincide with early shoot emergence and bloom, which places a protective layer of the bactericide on emerging green tissue and blossoms. KASUMIN acts as a locally systemic bactericide. In addition to controlling plant diseases on contact, the active ingredient in KASUMIN is absorbed by the plant’s green tissue and provides even broader control of targeted pathogens.
KASUMIN is most effective when it is incorporated in a rotation program because the product shows no cross-resistance to other bactericides. KASUMIN features a 12-hour restricted-entry interval and 100-day pre-harvest interval on almonds. It has no animal or human uses.
The ABC thanked Dr. Jim Adaskaveg of the University of California, Riverside, who wrote the Section 18 petition, and the Almond Alliance of California, which submitted the petition to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Growers are urged to contact their local County Ag Commissioner’s office for further details if interested in using this pesticide.
Visit the California Department of Food and Agriculture website for a full list of County Ag Commissioners’ offices as well as contact information for each.
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