A versatile fungicide Metalaxyl

With $250-$300 million in annual sales, metalaxyl fungicide is favored in more than 100 crops.

Ciba-Geigy (now Syngenta Crop Protection) introduced metalaxyl and first registered it in the US in 1979. It was first approved for use by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1982, and it requires periodic reviews by FAO.

Metalaxyl is a systemic, benzenoid fungicide used in mixtures as a foliar spray for tropical and subtropical crops, as a soil treatment for control of soil-borne pathogens, and as a seed treatment to control downy mildews.

Metalaxyl is registered for use on more than 100 agricultural crops, including more than 30 seed treatments. It is primarily used in potatoes, citrus, cotton, onions, cucurbits, tomatoes, tobacco, turfgrass, and in soybeans as a seed treatment.

2008, a new strain of downy mildew attacked spinach in Salinas Valley, California, US. The Peronospora farinose pest was first identified in 1824, and it has evolved into at least 10 identified races. This new race could be No. 11, and some scientists surmise the new strain might have been encouraged because the area’s densely planted organic crops are not seed treated with metalaxyl.

Common Name: Metalaxyl
Action: Fungicide
Use: Foliar diseases, such as downy mildew and late blight; soilborne diseases caused by Phytophthora and Pythium
Chemical Group: Acylalanine
Composition: N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(mehtoxyacetyl)-DL-alanine methyl ester (CAS)
Mode of Action: Nucleic acids synthesis
Properties: Solubility at 20 degrees C, 65% in methanol; 55% in benzene; 7,100 ppm in water
Formulations: Emulsifiable concentrate, granule, flowable, wettable powder