Graduate A+ fungicide receives California registration

Powerful Postharvest Fungicide Enhances Disease Control in Citrus Fruits      
   
• Graduate A+™ fungicide received federal registration from the EPA.
• Fungicide product utilizes two active ingredients to protect citrus fruit from decay and guard against disease resistance.
• Unlike other postharvest fungicides, Graduate A+ provides highly effective sporulation control.
 
Syngenta Crop Protection announced that Graduate A+ postharvest fungicide received registration for use in California. 
 
Graduate A+ provides built-in disease resistance management, sporulation control and flexible protection on citrus fruit through pack-out and delivery to enable growers to deliver more fruit to their buyers. It utilizes two active ingredients to effectively control decay and improve fruit quality. For the first time, citrus packers will have a resistance-breaking combination material. Graduate A+ contains fludioxonil and azoxystrobin, two fungicides that belong to two classes new to postharvest use with unique modes of action. Experts agree that combinations of two effective materials will help control resistant decay fungi. Because both ingredients are effective and there is no reported resistance, Graduate A+ is the only product on the market offering this benefit for postharvest use. 
 
"The added protection that Graduate A+ provides after harvest is essential for allowing packers to deliver disease-free fruit to their buyers,” said Paul Johnson, Syngenta Crop Protection postharvest market manager. “By preventing losses due to postharvest diseases, growers achieve higher packouts, better arrivals and larger profits.”
 
Graduate A+ effectively controls disease for more than 18 hours after inoculation and is highly effective against the key decay organisms in citrus – green mold, blue mold and stem end rots. It remains effective during storage and shipping to maximize fruit quality. It is also the only postharvest fungicide on the market with built-in resistance management.
 
Research shows that Graduate A+ is also the only postharvest fungicide on the market that effectively controls sporulation, therefore reducing soilage and cullage of adjacent fruit. Packers save time and money as they have fewer allowances and instances in which they need to repack fruit.