Westbridge Agricultural Products announced that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved the addition of stone fruit and almonds to the Botector label. California registration now provides stone fruit and almond growers with a new tool in preventing blossom blight and brown, a destructive disease that can significantly impact crop quality and yield.
Botector is an effective organic biofungicide which is also registered for the prevention of botrytis in grapes, tomatoes and berries, and the anthracnose, phomopsis and rhizopus rots of berries. The active ingredient in Botector consists of two strains of Aureobasidium pullulans, a beneficial fungus that is commonly found on the surface of fruit and flowers. Botector’s mode of action is “competitive exclusion”, whereby beneficial organisms outgrow disease pathogens, robbing them of essential nutrients and space for growth. Because A. pullulans has evolved on the surface of plants, it will survive through irrigation or rain events.
Botector has proven efficacy in more than six years of university and commercial trials under a variety of growing conditions. Botector is exempt from Maximum Residue Limits (MRL’s) and there is no Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI), making it an ideal product to use when pesticide residues are a concern.
Botector can be used in both conventional and organic crops. It is an excellent tool for IPM because when used in rotation with other chemicals, it reduces the potential for resistance to develop. Westbridge Agricultural Products has been a leading manufacturer and distributor of effective plant nutrients and crop protection products since 1982. From its Organic TRIGGRR, Organic BioLink, Earthtrend, SUNBurst and SUPPRESS Herbicide Products, to Botector and Blossom Protect biopesticides, Westbridge provides a portfolio of high quality inputs that provide solutions to growers facing challenges in disease control, pest resistance and nutrient management.
