Canada to approve bactericide kasugamycin

Date:11-30-2012

The Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has proposed to grant full registration for the sale and use of Arysta LifeScience’s bactericide kasugamycin technical and Kasumin 2L Bactericide, containing kasugamycin, to control or suppress bacterial diseases on greenhouse and field fruiting vegetables, pome fruits and walnuts. The PMRA opens public comment until January 11st 2013.

Kasugamycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that is produced by Streptomyces kasugaensis, which was first isolated from a soil sample collected in Nara, Japan in 1965. It prevents protein synthesis in bacterial cells. Kasugamycin was discovered by Hamao Umezawa, who also discovered kanamycin and bleomycin, as a drug which could prevent growth of a fungus causing rice blast disease.