Fungicides

Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage to agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality, and profit.

Fungus control comes in the forms of contact, translaminar, or systemic fungicides. Contact fungicides are not taken up into the plant tissue and only protect the plant where the spray is deposited. Translaminar fungicides redistribute the fungicide from the upper, sprayed leaf surface to the lower, unsprayed surface. Systemic fungicides are taken up and redistributed through the xylem vessels to the upper parts of the plant, and new leaf growth is protected for a short period.

Fungus control can be applied to address a number of problems, including:

• Black spot or scab in apple
• Root rot in avocado, citrus, cucurbits, pineapple, stonefruit
• Bud rot in nutfall and coconut
• Downey mildew in cucurbits, grape, lettuce, onion, ornamentals, and bedding plants
• Anthracnose in mango
• Heart rot in pineapple and collar rot in stonefruit
• Late blight in potato and tomato
• Leather rot in strawberry
• Phytophthora diseases in strawberry and conifers
• Pythium in ornamentals, bedding plants, and turf
• Phytophthora and pythium diseases associated with stem and canker blight (Sudden Oak Death) and general beech decline