Blue mold solution: the anticipated registration of Actigard will give leaf growers a unique tool for immunizing tabacco against blue mold.

摘要

Virginia tobacco farmers are soon expected to gain an effective new ally in the battle against blue mold. This source of help comes in the form of Actigard, a unique product developed by Novartis Crop Protection Inc. Actigard is not a fungicide or pesticide in the traditional sense. It's in a new category of plant protection products classified as "plant activators.'' Actigard itself does not have any direct activity on diseases. Rather, it works much like a vaccination. When sprayed on tobacco foliage at the proper time,Actigard stimulates or"activates" the plant's own natural defense mechanism to help it fight off infection by the blue mold fungus. "In actuality, Actigard causes the plant to control the disease itself by enhancing its immune response," says Sarah Gehant, a Kentucky-based Novartis product development specialist. The product is not yet approved for sale. However, Gehant says Novartis anticipates that Actigard will receive federal registration for use on tobacco from the EPA by mid-May. That means Actigard should be available by the first part of June for use during the current growing season.