Greenhouse - Sumagic Gets Label for Some Vegetable Transplants.

The following is some information on new labelled uses for Sumagic plant growth regulator on vegetable transplants.

The Plant Growth Regulator Sumagic from Valent Professional Products is now labeled for use on several vegetable transplants grown in commercial greenhouses. Sumagic, which contains the active ingredient uniconazole, is the first and only plant growth retardant that can legally be used on fruiting vegetable crops. This is a significant milestone, as growers have had to use a variety of environmental techniques and low levels of fertility to help maintain compact vegetable plugs.

Sumagic is specifically registered for use as a foliar spray on tomato, pepper, eggplant, groundcherry, pepino and tomatillo. The recommended label rate is 2 to 10 ppm at a volume of 2 quarts per 100 sq ft of crop. Experiments performed with Sumagic at Michigan State University in cooperation with Valent Professional Products, showed that as little as a single 1.0 ppm spray application had a noticeable effect on inhibiting extension growth of tomato seedlings. Therefore, as with all plant growth regulators, small-scale trials by growers are encouraged to determine appropriate rates for your growing conditions, crops grown and desired responses.According to the supplemental label, the total amount of Sumagic applied to vegetable transplants may not exceed that from a single 10-ppm spray application at 2 quarts per 100 sq ft. In addition, the final application may not occur later than 14 days after the 2 to 4 true leaf stage. Sumagic is registered for use on vegetable transplants in all states except California and New York. Finally, the supplemental label must be in the possession of the user at the time of application.

Reprinted from the current issue of the Michigan State Greenhouse Alert newsletter.