Subdue MAXX Gets OK for Sudden Oak Death

With all of the problems the United States has had to deal with since the outbreak of Sudden Oak Death (SOD) in early March, Syngenta Professional Products has received supplemental labeling from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for special local application in the state of California for the control of Phytophthora spp, including Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes SOD in ornamental plants for Subdue MAXX fungicide.

According to Syngenta, foliar applications of Subdue MAXX have been approved for greenhouse-, container- and field-grown ornamental plants in nurseries, landscape plantings and conifers grown in nurseries and plantations. Subdue MAXX should be applied prior to Phytophthora spp infection as preventive applications have been shown to be more effective than applying fungicide after the infection appears.

“Because Sudden Oak Death is a significant issue for California growers, we are pleased to offer a product that will help prevent the spread of the disease,” said Dean Mosdell, Western field technical manager, Syngenta Professional Products. “Subdue MAXX has been shown to be very effective, and it is our hope that ornamental growers will take advantage of its benefits.”

In California, SOD was first detected in the cool, wet climates of 13 central and north coastal counties including Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey. It has spread into the nursery industry, and the list of susceptible plants continues to grow.

Since the most recent nationwide outbreak this past spring, growers and retailers all over the county have been testing positive – most recently Hines Nursery in Forest Grove, Ore., on rhododendrons; the USDA and Hines are working together to remedy the problem as quickly as possible.

The quick registration of Subdue MAXX is one of the ways that industry-wide people are working together to help put a stop to SOD before it causes more significant damage.