See details of the ReMedium TI label change for Florida citrus growers wanting to administer oxytetracycline for a 3rd year.
Florida citrus growers have been administering oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk injections in an effort to combat citrus greening since its approval two years ago. While results have been positive in improved canopies, growers are hoping that a third year of OTC injections will create improvements in yields and quality will follow. However, the OTC’s label, for the product ReMedium TI, only allowed the OTC to be injected for two years in a row. Thankfully, growers got a ReMedium TI label change recently, according to a Citrus Industry article. Read a Q&A with Tom Johnson, the owner of TJ BioTech, which created and manufactures ReMedium TI, on the label changes, below.
ReMedium TI Label Change Q&A
“Q: What does the special local need label for ReMedium TI® mean for citrus growers heading into next season?
Tom Johnson: TJ BioTech recently requested a ReMedium TI® label change from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The label change request was specifically about the resistance management section of that label that required a third year of no ReMedium TI® injection after two consecutive years of oxytetracycline (OTC) injections. The change request was granted by removing the two-year restriction of the label.
In other words, if a tree or grove has been injected for two years, the previous label restricted a ReMedium TI® injection in a third consecutive year. That restriction had raised a significant amount of concern about taking an injection year off. A year off of ReMedium TI® may be detrimental to the citrus greening recovery the industry has seen over the past two years.
The removal of the third-year restriction is great news for the citrus industry and for continued recovery of trees that have been devastated by greening over the past couple of decades.
Resistance management is still important to the longevity of ReMedium TI® use in the industry. Therefore, TJ BioTech is continuing research that is designed to provide a management plan to preserve the positive impact of ReMedium TI® far into the future.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions -or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.