Companion Fungicide Receives California Registration

By Greenhouse Grower staff|February 11, 2011

Companion liquid biological fungicide recently received registration in California for turfgrass and landscape use. Manufactured by Growth Products, Companion effectively prevents, controls and suppresses a broad range of root and foliar diseases, including pythium and phytophthora.

Companion, the first first EPA-approved biofungicide, contains the powerful but environmentally friendly GB03 strain of Bacillus subtilis, which prevents and controls plant diseases through multiple modes of action. GB03 produces a broad-spectrum antibiotic that disrupts pathogen cell-wall formation, and it stimulates a plant’s natural immune system. A competitive and fast-colonizing rhizobacterium, GB03 also crowds out pathogens to prevent their growth and antagonistic effects.

Because Companion is not a chemical fungicide but rather a biological fungicide, pathogens do not develop disease resistance. This makes Companion an ideal component of a disease management program. Companion can be used in rotation with chemical fungicides or can be tank mixed with smaller amounts of chemical fungicides for improved efficacy, and thus can reduce potentially harmful chemical applications and lower a total chemical costs.

Learn more about Companion and other products Growth Products provides at www.growthproducts.com.