Biopesticide Blossom Protect approved by USA

Blossom Protect™ was approved on January 31, 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a biopesticide for the control of fire blight in pome fruit orchards. Blossom Protect™ (Aureobasidium pullulans DSM 14940 + Aureobasidium pullulans DSM 14941) is approved for use in organic production.

Developed by bio-ferm GmbH in Tulln, Austria, and exclusively marketed in the United States by Westbridge Agricultural Products of Vista, California, Blossom Protect™ is a highly effective fire blight preventative for use on apple and pear trees. Dr. Larry Parker, Director of Westbridge Research and Development, said that “Four years of trials in the U.S. and several years of actual grower use in Europe have proven the effectiveness of Blossom Protect™ in controlling fire blight, either used by itself or as a tool with other products in a program of Integrated Pest Management.”

Blossom Protect™ works by introducing highly competitive microorganisms on to the fruit blossom which block the fire blight pathogen from colonizing the apple and pear blossom. Dr. Parker commented that “Blossom Protect™ is not an antibiotic and, as such, will be an important and effective tool for the prevention of fire blight.”