AgroPages-Growth Products’ biofungicide Companion registered and OMRI listed in US-Agricultural news

Growth Products has announced Companion Biological Fungicide Wettable Powder (GB03 strain of Bacillus subtilis) is now registered as a pesticide by U.S. EPA, and has obtained an Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) listing for use in organic food production.

Companion is a broad spectrum biological fungicide for the prevention, control, and suppression of diseases on all agricultural crops.

Companion’s GB03 strain of Bacillus subtilis has multiple modes of action in preventing and controlling soil borne and foliar diseases. It is a naturally occurring rhizosphere bacterium, plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) that produces a broad-spectrum antibiotic (iturin) which disrupts pathogen cell-wall formation and colonizes quickly to crowd out and prevent pathogen growth and antagonistic effects.

University trials have shown that GB03 triggers Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) in plants, by activating a plant’s natural immune system to fight disease.

It is available in 8-ounce, 5-pound, 20-pound, and 50-pound packages. It is a dry concentrate that is fully soluble in water, and can be applied as a soil drench, foliar spray, or organic seed treatment on all types of field grown food crops including vegetables, herbs, small fruits, berries, and nut trees, as well as in greenhouse plug production and hydroponics operations.