Each growing season presents new challenges, and Sclerotinia can easily rise to the top of a grower’s list of concerns. Sclerotinia is a prevalent disease in lettuce production that can ultimately cause lettuce drop, a condition when the lower leaves are damaged and drop to the soil surface.
Sclerotinia can survive in the soil for up to three years. The fungus thrives in cool, wet conditions, making uneven beds with poor drainage most susceptible. It is critical for growers to have a strong solution to attack the disease before it settles into the soil.
The solution
As a leading broad-spectrum fungicide, PH-D® Fungicide is the tool lettuce growers need in order to check that worry off their list. A member of FRAC Group 19, PH-D Fungicide uses a unique mode of action for improved resistance management. The product offers 4-hour REI and 0-day PHI for quick turnaround. PH-D controls the fungi and diseases that cause wilting and rotting in lettuce plants.
Backed by growers and PCAs
Mark Mason, an independent grower from Salinas, California, treated approximately 4,000 acres of head and leaf varieties of lettuce with PH-D in 2019.
“PH-D is a chemistry rotation for me. The export MRLs for PH-D satisfy crucial export markets. It was also nice to see that PH-D’s formulation was very soluble for low-volume applications like during mechanical thinning,” Mason said. “It’s nice to have a new mode of action for resistance management for Sclerotinia in lettuce.”
Joe Sproul, pest control adviser for Rio Farms in King City, California, agreed. He was impressed with the powerful effects of the product. “I used PH-D instead of or in rotation with Endura and it worked just as good, if not better,” he said.
In addition to lettuce and leafy vegetables, PH-D is a reliable tool for a wide variety of crops including almonds, citrus, grapes, pistachios, pome fruit, strawberries and potatoes. For more information on how PH-D can fit into your resistance management plan, contact your local UPL sales representative.
