California will register MIDAS

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will register Arysta LifeScience’s MIDAS for commercial use, once regulations take effect to designate the fumigant as a restricted material. CDPR’s decision follows an extensive scientific review and is welcomed by growers seeking an effective alternative to methyl bromide, according to Arysta.

California will be the 48th state to register MIDAS.

MIDAS is a broad-spectrum soil fumigant that effectively controls soil-borne diseases, nematodes and weed seeds that threaten high-value crops such as ornamentals, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers tree fruit, nuts, vines and turf, according to Arysta.

Developed by researchers at the University of California-Riverside as a drop-in replacement for methyl bromide, MIDAS was first approved by EPA in 2007, following a rigorous review. Today, MIDAS has been applied to more than 16,000 acres in the United States with no safety incidents reported, according to Arysta.

Iodomethane (methyl iodide), the active ingredient in MIDAS, is one of the most comprehensively researched compounds in the history of modern agriculture. More than 100 national and international scientists worked to develop the state-of-the-art toxicology and environmental studies that support the MIDAS data package, according to Arysta.

MIDAS is injected into soil prior to planting by certified applicators who have completed a stewardship and training program developed and initiated by Arysta LifeScience. MIDAS will be legal to use in California after emergency regulations take effect in late December, and will require a permit for use from county agricultural commissioners.

MIDAS delivers results comparable to methyl bromide, at up to 40 percent fewer pounds per acre. In addition, MIDAS does not contribute to depletion of the ozone layer, according to Arysta.

Internationally, iodomethane is registered in Japan, Turkey, New Zealand, Morocco and Mexico, with additional registrations pending in Australia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Chile, Egypt, Israel, South Africa and other countries, according to Arysta.

MIDAS is expected to be available in California in the first quarter of 2011.

For more information, visit www.arystalifescience.com.