The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted a Section 18 emergency use exemption to Texas for the use of Topguard® Fungicide that permits cotton growers in Texas to use Topguard at planting to control cotton root rot, a devastating disease that can cause direct yield losses of as much as $40 million per year, reports AgFax Media.

This is the fourth year for Topguard to receive the EPA’s Section 18 emergency use exemption.

This emergency use exemption is effective Feb. 1 through June 30. Anyone applying Topguard for cotton root rot control must have a copy of the Topguard Fungicide Section 18 Exemption label on hand during application.

For additional information, growers are encouraged to contact their local crop protection dealer or visit the Cheminova, Inc. website, the makers of the fungicide.