CIVITAS Fungicide Unveiled At Golf Industry Show.
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada – February 5, 2009 – After months of anticipation and speculation, Petro-Canada today launched their golf course fungicide CIVITAS at the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans. CIVITAS is the only commercially available turf fungus control product for the golf course industry that utilizes the revolutionary mode of action called Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR). Unlike traditional chemical fungicides, CIVITAS is a synthetic isoparaffin-based product that works to prime the turf’s genes, stimulate its natural defenses and kill or inhibit fungal diseases.
“The wait is over,” says Reinie Drygala, Manager for Lawncare Products. “After six years in the making we are ecstatic to formally introduce CIVITAS to the golf course industry – and what better place than at the Golf Industry Show.”
“We have developed a dramatic breakthrough in fungus control technology – one that golf course superintendents have been waiting for,” says Drygala. “The science behind our product is revolutionary. There’s nothing like it on the market today that fights and inhibits fungus the way CIVITAS does – its mode of action is one-of-a-kind.”
In addition to the product’s unique mode of action, it also differs from traditional chemical fungicides due to its short re-entry intervals, spray and application flexibility, and improved turf health. Superintendents will also benefit from its resistance management properties. “CIVITAS delivers tournament-ready course conditions, without any resistance issues,” says Drygala.
Described as a plant defense activator, CIVITAS provides broad-spectrum control on a variety of grasses, including bent grass, rye grass and poa and helps to control dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose, spring leaf spot, grey leaf spot, fusarium patch, leaf spot, powdery mildew, grey and pink snow mold. It also helps to control insects, including sod webworm, annual bluegrass weevils, banks grass mites, mealybugs, mites, cutworm and fall armyworm.
Throughout the six years of research and development CIVITAS underwent robust testing and trial procedures. The product was tested by some of the turf grass industry’s leading minds, including Dr. Frank Rossi (Cornell University) and Dr. Thomas Hsiang (University of Guelph). In December 2008, Dr. Rossi and Dr. Hsiang co-presented a webinar which detailed their research findings. The webinar is available for download at www.civitasturf.com.
CIVITAS is now available at selected distributors in the U.S.A. Packaging sizes vary, and include a tote, 55 gallon drum, 30 gallon drum and 5 gallon pail.
About Petro-Canada
CIVITAS is specially formulated by Petro-Canada, which has over 20 years of experience in the agriculture industry developing and commercializing agricultural fungicides and insecticides. Petro-Canada blends and packages more than 350 different lubricants, specialty fluids and greases that are exported to more than 60 countries on six continents. Products are manufactured from 99.9% pure base oils – among the purest in the world. Petro-Canada is also the world’s largest producer of white oils. Petro-Canada specializes in offering customers products and services proven to increase productivity and lower operating costs, technical leadership and training.
For more information on products and services, please call 1-866-335-3369, visit civitasturf.com or lubricants.petro-canada.ca (TSX: PCA, NYSE: PCZ).
For more information, please contact:
Bob McKinlay, MC Group of Companies
350 Talbot St., London, Ontario CANADA N6A 2R6
Phone: + 1-519-660-8460 ext. 253, Fax: + 1-519-660-8476
E-mail: bob.mckinlay@ogilvy.com