By Jim Chaput, Minor Use Coordinator, OMAFRA

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use registration for SCALA® SC Fungicide (pyrimethanil) for control of Botrytis and Alternaria blight on ginseng in Canada. SCALA® was already registered for use against several diseases of other fruit and vegetable crops in Canada.

Botrytis and Alternaria blight are common, damaging foliar diseases of ginseng in North America and have been identified as diseases of concern on the minor use priority list. The registration of SCALA® is an important step towards improving the pest management toolkit for ginseng.

This minor use label expansion project was initiated in 2011 by the minor use office of OMAFRA in response to minor use priorities identified by producers. The following is provided as an abbreviated, general outline only. Users should consult the complete label before using SCALA® SC fungicide.

SCALA® SC can be applied at a rate of 2.0 L product per hectare as soon as crop and/or environmental conditions become favourable for disease development. Applications can be made on a 7 day interval depending upon disease conditions. A maximum of 3 applications per year is permitted and the pre-harvest interval for ginseng is 30 days.

Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the SCALA® fungicide label carefully.

SCALA® should be used in an IPM program and in rotation with other management strategies to adequately manage resistance.

We wish to acknowledge the personnel of Bayer CropScience 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 the new minor use label contact Sean Westerveld, OMAFRA Ginseng & Medicinal Herbs Specialist, Simcoe (519) 426-4323, Marvin Karges, OGGA, Simcoe (519) 426-7046, Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 or visit www.bayercropscience.ca