AgraQuest introduces valuable soil disease control tool into new markets

AgraQuest Inc. announced SERENADE SOIL fungicide will now be available for growers of peanuts and all legumes in most of the U.S., in addition to previously labeled crops including tomatoes, peppers, cucurbits and potatoes. The product can now also be used for suppression of common scab of potato. SERENADE SOIL fungicide is the first soil fungicide based on AgraQuest's patented active ingredient Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713.

"SERENADE SOIL fungicide was specially designed by AgraQuest's microbiologists and formulation scientists to give growers protection against profit-robbing soil diseases such as Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Pythium, and Phytophthora," said Sarah Reiter, AgraQuest's Director of Marketing. "We continue to expand this tool into new markets, offering growers better soil disease control and improved yields."

Applied at planting or transplanting, SERENADE SOIL first attacks soil-dwelling pathogens, and then quickly builds a disease protection zone around the seed. As the seedling grows, the beneficial bacteria in SERENADE SOIL continue to grow, attaching themselves to the roots of the plant, expanding the disease protection zone, resulting in higher-yielding fields and better quality fruits and vegetables.

Years of research have demonstrated that plants treated with SERENADE SOIL fungicide are stronger and healthier, and deliver average yield increases of more than 13% across a variety of crops, growing practices and production areas.

Available in the U.S. since January of 2010, SERENADE SOIL fungicide has quickly gained acceptance among growers focused on increasing their yields and profits. Registrations for these expanded uses in California are anticipated later this year.