Fighting Botrytis

Jennifer Polanz

BioWorks has launched a newly formulated biological fungicide called BotryStop WP to control Botrytis in greenhouse vegetable and ornamental crops, as well as outdoor crops.

BotryStop WP is approved for organic and conventional IPM programs, according to BioWorks, and has a four-hour restricted entry interval (REI) and zero-day Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI). The product’s wettable powder formulation is stable at room temperature for 12 months, so there’s no need for refrigeration.

“New BotryStop WP data continue to demonstrate improved efficacy for the treatment of Botrytis,” said Dr. Michael Brownbridge, Biological Program Manager for Disease at BioWorks. “This reformulation provides an easy-to-use, superior resistance management solution for one of the most destructive diseases growers face.”

Here’s how the company describes the product:

“BotryStop WP’s active ingredient, Ulocladium oudemansii (U3 Strain), has a unique mode of action (MOA) that prevents and controls Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Monilinia spp., Xanthomonas and other foliar pathogens. BotryStop WP outcompetes the pathogens for nutrients released by senescing plant tissue and occupies the same ecological niche that pathogens like Botrytis colonize. Without causing any damage to living, healthy tissue BotryStop WP supports healthier crops. This also makes BotryStop WP an excellent disease prevention tool that can be used alone or in a spray rotation for resistance management.”

Visit bioworksinc.com to see more about the product, and to read a white paper and trials conducted.