New FLINT Fungicide Registered for Use on Grapes, Pome Fruit and Cucurbit Vegetables

A. H. Tally, Novartis Crop Protection.

Posted 28 June 2000. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2000-0628-01-IN.

FLINT^TM, a new foliar fungicide from Novartis Crop Protection, Inc., has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency for use on grapes, pome fruit and cucurbit vegetables. Registration is pending in California and New York, and Novartis anticipates registration in California in time for the 2000 use season.

On pome fruit, FLINT will offer both preventive and curative control of fruit and foliar scab, preventive control of sooty blotch and flyspeck, and suppression of bitter rot and white rot. Trials show FLINT gives pome fruit growers more disease control, including up to 100 hours of post-infection control of foliar and fruit scab, and seven- to ten-day residual control of scab and other diseases. 

On grapes and cucurbit vegetables, FLINT will help growers reduce the number of applications needed to protect the value and quality of their crop. FLINT is registered for control of powdery mildew and black rot on grapes, and control of powdery mildew on cucurbits.

Trifloxystrobin, the active ingredient in FLINT, works several ways to help protect yield and quality because of a unique activity that Novartis calls mesostemic, or "locked-in." Locked-in means the fungicide has a high affinity for the plant surface and is absorbed by the waxy layers of the plant. It redistributes at the plant surface by superficial vapor action and redeposition. It also penetrates plant tissue with translaminar activity, but there is little or no movement within the vascular system of the plant. This locked-in activity combines key attributes of both protectant and systemic products, locking in long-lasting disease control.

FLINT is highly effective in controlling spore germination, but where germination is successful FLINT will arrest fungal growth at later stages of the disease cycle. This dual level of activity facilitates effectiveness and duration of control.

FLINT has been designated as a Reduced Risk compound. The fungicide fits with Integrated Pest Management programs due to its low use rates, excellent crop safety and the fact that it is harmless to a wide range of beneficial organisms.

FLINT also provides excellent resistance-management potential, and shows no cross-resistance with fungicides of other chemical classes. And the fungicide has very favorable human and environmental safety profiles.

For more information about FLINT, contact your pest control advisor, extension worker or local Novartis Crop Protection sales representative.

Important: Always read and follow label directions before buying or using this product.

FLINT is not currently registered for use or sale in California and New York.

FLINT and the Novartis logo are trademarks of Novartis.