Features Crop Protection Inputs
Greenhouse Grower Notes: Tomato growers get help with Minor Use tool

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a Minor Use label expansion for “Pristine” fungicide (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) for control of Botrytis grey mould and suppression of powdery mildew on greenhouse tomatoes in Canada. “Pristine” was already labelled for use on a range of Canadian specialty and minor crops in the field; however, this is the first full registration of this product in greenhouse food crops.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the
approval of a Minor Use label expansion for “Pristine” fungicide
(boscalid + pyraclostrobin) for control of Botrytis grey mould and
suppression of powdery mildew on greenhouse tomatoes in Canada.
“Pristine” was already labelled for use on a range of Canadian
specialty and minor crops in the field; however, this is the first full
registration of this product in greenhouse food crops.

This Minor Use submission was co-sponsored by the U.S. IR-4 program and the Pest Management Centre (PMC) of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in response to Minor Use priorities identified by greenhouse tomato producers in both countries.

Disease management has been a high priority for greenhouse tomato producers and the registration of “Pristine” fungicide will provide greenhouse tomato producers with an effective and useful disease management and resistance management tool.

“Pristine” can be applied at a rate of 1.6 kg product per hectare in a minimum water volume of 250 litres per hectare. Do not apply “Pristine” more than once per crop cycle. The pre-harvest interval for greenhouse tomatoes is zero days.

It should be used in an integrated disease management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the label.

This Minor Use submission was jointly sponsored by the PMC and the US IR-4 as a result of priorities established in consultation with producers. We also wish to thank the personnel of BASF Canada Inc. for their support of this registration and the personnel of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for evaluating and approving this important pest management tool.

For copies of this new Minor Use label, contact Gillian Ferguson, OMAFRA greenhouse vegetable IPM specialist at 519-738-1258 or gillian.ferguson@ontario.ca, or visit http://www.agsolutions.ca.

Jim Chaput is the Minor Use co-ordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.