ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 7, 2007

EPA OKAYS THREE FUNGICIDES TO CONTROL SOYBEAN RUST

BISMARCK – Three additional fungicides will now be available to North Dakota soybean producers to control soybean rust if and when the disease threatens the state’s soybean crop.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has approved quarantine exemptions for Alto® 100SL™, Quadris® Xtra™ and Topguard™ to control soybean rust,” Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said. “These products can be used when soybean rust is determined to be a threat in North Dakota.”

Johnson said the EPA has now approved his requests for quarantine exemptions for 15 products to control soybean rust.

Soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) is causing serious crop losses in other parts of the world. Losses of up to 80 percent have been documented in some countries where soybean rust has infected fields. The disease is mainly spread by wind-borne spores.

Johnson said EPA has authorized the North Dakota Department of Agriculture to decide if and when the exemptions should be activated.

“If soybean rust threatens North Dakota’s crop, we will let the growers, dealers and applicators know that they can use these chemicals,” Johnson said. “Until then, however, the exemptions are inactive and none of these fungicides can be used on soybeans in North Dakota.”

The exemption for Alto 100SL and Quadris Xtra allows up to two ground or aerial applications of 2.5 to 4 ounces of Alto and 4 ounces of Quadris per acre. A 12-hour restricted entry interval and a 30-day pre-harvest interval are required.

The exemption for Topguard allows up to two ground or aerial applications of 7 ounces of product per acre. A 21-day pre-harvest interval must be observed.

Under both exemptions, soybean forage and hay from treated fields may not be used for feed.

Applicators must follow all directions, restrictions, worker protection standard requirements and precautions on the EPA-registered labels and all exemption use directions. They must also have the exemption use directions in their possession during application.

Both exemptions allow treatment of a maximum of 1.95 million acres of soybeans in North Dakota.

Syngenta Crop Protection manufactures both Alto 100SL and Quadris Xtra. Topguard is manufactured by Cheminova.

North Dakota ranks ninth in the nation in soybean production. Soybeans are the state’s second most important crop after spring wheat with a total value of almost one half billion dollars in 2006. The state’s soybean acreage has substantially increased in recent years from 640,000 acres in 1994 to 3.9 million acres in 2006.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.