Nov 4, 2019

Regulatory approval given in California for Vacciplant Plant Defense stimulant

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has granted approval for Vacciplant Plant Defense Stimulant  for use in lettuce and grapes. The state’s growers now have access to a natural extract that stimulates the crop’s natural defense mechanisms for enhanced disease resistance, healthier plants and increased yields.

According to UPL NA Inc., the CDPR approval of Vacciplant provides an important new tool for growers to control devastating crop diseases, such as downy mildew in lettuce and powdery mildew in grapes.

A preventative treatment, is a natural biocontrol product that triggers crops’ defense mechanisms and protects them against a wide range of pathogens. Vacciplant has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of disease, improve overall plant health and increase yield potential in multiple crops, including citrus, pome fruit, fruiting vegetables, cole crops and leafy vegetables.

The technology of Vacciplant, when applied to actively growing plants, improves conventional spray performance using both SAR (systemic acquired resistance) and ISR (induced systemic resistance) modes of action to stimulate the salicylic and jasmonic acid pathways, and it can be used in rotation as part of a resistance management program.

Lettuce and grape performance trials

In lettuce trials in California, Vacciplant improved the number of marketable lettuce heads, the weight of the lettuce heads and the number of boxes per acre over the commercial standard. And no crop response was observed in any of the trials conducted.  

While Vacciplant grape trials showed similar performance in disease control to the commercial chemical standards, the treatments with Vacciplant demonstrated greater fruit size and higher fruit quality than the non-Vacciplant treatments, and the Vacciplant programs showed less leaf necrosis than the market standard non-biological treatments. 

“UPL is committed to delivering innovative strategies and product solutions that are customized to meet the productivity and sustainability goals that growers have for their fruit, tree nut, vines and vegetable crops,” said Karen Westcott, Marketing Manager, Specialty Crops, UPL. “Vacciplant is another addition to an integrated pest management program that helps improve plant health and protect the crop from damaging disease pressures.”

UPL offers an integrated portfolio of agricultural solutions for specialty crops, including biological, crop protection and post-harvest solutions.  

UPL is a leader in global food systems and, with the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience, is now one of the top 5 agricultural solutions companies worldwide. With revenue of US$5 billion, new UPL has a presence in 130 countries. With market access to 90 percent of the world’s food basket and a focus on high-growth regions, new UPL represents a compelling value proposition for growers, distributors, suppliers and innovation partners in a consolidating market. New UPL offers an integrated portfolio of both patented and post-patent agricultural solutions for various arable and specialty crops, including biological, crop protection, seed treatment and post-harvest solutions covering the entire crop value chain.