The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved Serenade Soil from AgraQuest Inc. for use on potatoes, tomatoes and cucurbits. This is the first soil fungicide based on the company's active ingredient Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713. With the addition of California, Serenade Soil fungicide is now available in most U.S. states for growers needing protection against profit-robbing soil diseases such as rhizoctonia, fusarium, pythium and phytophthora.
Applied at planting, Serenade Soil 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.