UPL's KASUMIN bactericide receives 2021 US EPA section 18 approval for California almonds

UPL announced that a Section 18 emergency exemption for 2021 has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) for KASUMIN^® Bactericide on almonds for the control of bacterial blast. The approval applies to treatment on a maximum of 100,000 acres of almonds in the state and is limited to the counties of Butte, Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo and Yuba.

“The Section 18 approval of KASUMIN Bactericide will provide our California almond growers with the support they need to take control of bacterial blast in their orchard this upcoming season,” said David Davies, Marketing Manager, Specialty Crops, UPL. “By targeting a different site of action to protect tree health, crop quality and yields, KASUMIN is a highly effective tool for this bacterial disease.”

Under the Section 18, KASUMIN can be applied up to two times at a use rate of 64 fl. oz. per acre. Application should be made when conditions favor disease development, from bud break to petal fall. Application after petal fall is prohibited.

“We are extremely grateful to have received a Section 18 for KASUMIN Bactericide for the second year in a row,” Davies adds. “We are aware of how economically devastating bacterial blast can be to an almond operation, and we are thrilled to offer our growers another tool to protect their orchards this season.”

Unique mode of action

KASUMIN is already being successfully used in California walnut production for control of walnut blight after receiving federal and state registrations in 2019. As the only member of FRAC Group 24, KASUMIN has a high level of preventative activity on a wide array of plant pathogenic bacteria. Its active ingredient, kasugamycin, has a unique site of activity and mode of action.

Locally systemic in green tissue

The bactericide acts mainly as a preventative and is applied to coincide with early shoot emergence and bloom, which places a protective layer of the bactericide on emerging green tissue and blossoms. KASUMIN acts as a locally systemic bactericide. In addition to controlling plant diseases on contact, the active ingredient in KASUMIN is absorbed by the plant’s green tissue and provides even broader control of targeted pathogens.

KASUMIN is most effective when it is incorporated in a rotation program because the product shows no cross-resistance to other bactericides. KASUMIN features a 12-hour restricted-entry interval (REI) and 100-day pre-harvest interval (PHI) on almonds. It has no animal or human uses.

UPL offers an integrated portfolio of agricultural products for specialty crops, including biological, crop protection and post-harvest solutions. To learn more about KASUMIN, visit the company website or contact your local UPL sales representative.