DuPont’s Fontelis Now Registered in California

Posted by Paul Rusnak|January 17, 2013

California fruit, vegetable, and tree nut growers have a new tool to help them produce higher yields with enhanced quality. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has completed the 30-day public posting process for DuPont Fontelis fungicide (www.fontelis.dupont.com) in California. Federal registration for Fontelis was granted in 2012.

“The introduction of Fontelis to the California market will help growers meet increased demand for protecting valuable crops from a wide range of production-limiting diseases,” said John Chrosniak, regional director, North America, DuPont Crop Protection. “This new fungicide is another example of how DuPont Crop Protection is using market-driven science to help growers deal with the unexpected and provide nutritious, bountiful food to help feed the growing global population.”

An important use for fungicide will be for the state’s almond crop, which has doubled in production during the past two decades, making almonds the state’s second-ranked commodity. The California almond crop represents 100% of U.S. almond production and 80% of global almond supply.

California fruit and vegetable crops, including lettuce, tomato and other specialty crops, also will benefit from the fungicide’s broad-spectrum preventive and curative properties. The new active ingredient in Fontelis is said to deliver reliable control of diseases such as Alternaria leaf blight, powdery mildew, brown rot, lettuce drop, Botrytis, and leaf spot. Research has shown that Fontelis reduces disease incidence, and as a result, helps to increase yields and provide higher-quality produce compared to other fungicide programs.