Canada OKs Bayer CropScience's Serenade SOIL® biofungicide

Bayer CropScience Canada announces the registration of Serenade SOIL®, a new biological fungicide for fruit and vegetable crops, including potatoes, lettuce, onions, strawberries and many more. With a unique mode of action (FRAC Group 44), Serenade SOIL performs unlike any other product, creating a disease protection zone around the seed and roots. The beneficial bacteria in the fungicide grow with the plant, expanding the disease protection zone and creating armor for the seed and the roots against common soil diseases like rhizoctonia and pythium.

“Serenade SOIL works unlike any other fungicide, colonizing the seed and roots to continually protect against harmful diseases,” said David Kikkert, Portfolio Manager, Horticulture, Bayer CropScience. “Its unique mode of action offers growers a new tool for disease management, is exempted from maximum residue limits, and has a zero day pre-harvest interval.”

Studies have shown that because Serenade SOIL helps activate the plant’s natural defense mechanism it improves root colonization, increases efficiency of photosynthesis, and improves plant growth. As a result, crops treated with Serenade SOIL yielded a more robust plant and better quality product.

Serenade SOIL enhances the protection growers receive from their current disease protection program and its liquid formulation allows convenient tank-mixing with both fungicide and insecticide products.