Contact: Kenny Seebold, 859-257-7445, ext. 80721
Special approval granted for product to combat tobacco diseases
By
Approved by the Kentucky
Department of Agriculture, the new 24(c) label
allows farmers to use Manzate Pro-Stick fungicide on tobacco. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency approval is pending, said Kenny Seebold, a
plant pathologist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. The
24(c) immediately takes effect, meaning that producers may use Manzate
throughout the 2008 growing season.
“There’s a nationwide
shortage of Dithane DF, which we recommend to producers to manage diseases like
blue mold in the float system and field, and Manzate will help fill the gap,”
he said.
Producers can substitute Manzate
for all recommended uses of Dithane DF on tobacco, and the use rates are
identical. In the float system, use 0.5 pounds of product per 100 gallons of
spray (1 level teaspoon per gallon) on transplants that are dime-sized or
bigger. Field rates are: 1.5 to 2 pounds of product per acre. Farm chemical
distributors are aware of the Manzate 24(c), and some have Manzate in stock at United
Agri Products. Growers should contact
their local farm supply store to determine availability of the product in their
area, Seebold said.
“The labeling of Manzate on
tobacco has come at a good time,” he said. “Weather still continues to favor
diseases like target spot in the float system, and blue mold is currently
present down south and could affect tobacco in
Producers should check
plants regularly and consider a regular mancozeb (Dithane or Manzate) spray schedule
to protect transplants.
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Writer:
UK College of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension to enhance the lives of Kentuckians.