Certis USA to release Novel® biofungicide for Use on Turf and Gardens

A biofungicide with a new mode of action so unique it is named Novel, Novel® fungicide(polyoxin D zinc salt) will be available for homeowner use as early as year-end 2014.

The new disease control product for use on residential turf, landscapes, fruit trees and vegetable gardens will be available at local home and garden centers and features an environmentally and family friendly profile. Availability of Novel fungicide is a result of a collaborative effort between Certis U.S.A. L.L.C. and Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, to market a new 0.5%SC formulation of Novel fungicide to Certis USA distribution partners who service the residential markets. Certis USA will market Novel fungicide as a concentrate to be mixed in water or fertilizer solutions plus the concentrate can be used as a Ready-to-Spray (RTS) formulation to easily treat home lawns for broad-spectrum control of foliar diseases, such as Rhizoctonia brown patch. Novel fungicide also controls Alternaria (leaf blight, early blight), Botrytis (blight, grey molds), powdery mildew and other diseases effecting homeowner shrubs, trees, fruit and vegetable gardens.

The active ingredient of Novel fungicide is polyoxin D zinc salt that is derived through a natural fermentation process perfected by Kaken scientists. Polyoxin D zinc salt controls plant diseases by inhibiting the formation of chitin, a vital component of fungal disease cell walls. This unique, non-toxic mode of action makes Novel fungicide an ideal product for use in outdoor settings around homes where children, adults and pets participate in recreational activities and hobbies that include gardening, landscaping and lawn maintenance.

“Today consumers are seeking green, sustainable, environmentally friendly products that are effective and leave no chemical residues,” said Tim Damico, Certis USA Executive V.P. NAFTA. “Novel fungicide is just one of the many products marketed by Certis USA that has this profile. We have the broadest line of EPA-registered biopesticide products used by commercial orchard and vegetable growers, and we are dedicated to making as many of them available to the homeowner as possible. Our 70% extract of neem oil (Trilogy®), for example, is one of the best-selling biofungicides in the home and garden segment.” Other Certis USA biopesticides that are available to the consumer are: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that controls caterpillar pests, Bacillus amyloliquefacians (Ba) that controls soil and foliar diseases, and azadirachtin, another product derived from the neem tree, that is a natural insect growth regulator that controls whiteflies, aphids and several other pests.