Captan 75% WP Fungicide Uses

Captan 75% WP is a multi-site, contact (protective) fungicide from the phthalimide chemical group, registered for use in India under the Insecticides Act, 1968, formulated as a wettable powder (WP). It is registered for the control of scab, fly speck and bitter rot in apple, brown rot in cherry, downy mildew in grape, early and late blight in potato and tomato, early blight and fruit rot in chillies, brown rot and scab in citrus, black spot in rose, leaf spot in paddy, and damping off in vegetable and ornamental nurseries. This page lists its mode of action, key benefits and the recommended dosage as per the Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC) official list of approved fungicide uses (Government of India).

Which Problem Is This For? (Symptom Guide)

Not sure whether what you're seeing in the field matches this fungicide's use case? This guide helps match symptoms to this fungicide's approved crop-wise uses.

Mode of Action

Captan belongs to the phthalimide group of fungicides — FRAC Group M04 (multi-site contact activity). It reacts with thiol (-SH) groups of many different enzymes inside fungal spores, disrupting several cell processes at the same time, including respiration. This stops spore germination on the plant surface. Captan is a contact, protective fungicide: it stays on the surface of leaves, fruit and soil and must be applied before or at the very start of infection. Because it acts on many sites at once, the risk of fungi developing resistance to it is low.

Features & Benefits

• Registered across fruit, vegetable, ornamental and cereal crops — apple, cherry, grape, potato, tomato, chillies, citrus, rose, paddy and vegetable/ornamental nurseries.
• Multi-site contact action (FRAC Group M04) gives broad protective control with a low risk of resistance developing.
• Can be used both as a foliar spray and as a soil drench in nurseries against damping off.
• A useful tank-mix or rotation partner with systemic single-site fungicides in a resistance-management programme.
• Wettable powder (WP) formulation that disperses in water for uniform spraying or drenching.

Recommended Usage of Captan 75% WP Fungicide

The table below gives the recommended dose, water volume and waiting period per acre, converted from the CIB&RC-registered per-hectare rate — see the note below the table for conversion details. Always confirm against the current product label before use.

Figures above are converted from the CIB&RC-registered per-hectare rate (1 ha ≈ 2.47 acres) and rounded. CIB&RC figures (a.i. / formulation / water per ha / waiting period): grape downy mildew 1250 g / 1667 g / 1000 L / 8 days; potato early and late blight 1250 g / 1667 g / 1000 L / 8 days; tomato early and late blight 1250 g / 1667 g / 1000 L / 6 days; chillies early blight 1250 g / 1667 g / 1000 L / 8 days; chillies fruit rot 1500 g / 2000 g / 1000 L / 8 days; rose black spot 1250 g / 1667 g / 1000 L / not stated; paddy leaf spot 750 g / 1000 g / 750 L / not stated; nursery damping off 0.25% / 2500 g / 1000 L as soil drench / not stated. **For fruit trees (apple, cherry, citrus) the CIB&RC gives the concentration of active ingredient in the spray solution (0.12% a.i.; 0.25% a.i. for citrus brown rot) and the spray volume per tree (15–20 litres), together with 1667 g (2500 g for citrus brown rot) of formulation per ha, shown per acre in the table. The actual quantity used depends on the number and size of trees. *The nursery drench is a fixed mixing concentration; the quantity used depends on the size of the nursery bed. The CIB&RC also carries a warning for apple: when used as a foliar spray on the Red Delicious variety, this product may cause russeting. Always confirm the current dose on your specific product's label before use.

How to Use

1. Identify the disease from the symptom guide above and confirm the dose and water volume from the table.
2. Make a smooth paste of the measured powder in a small quantity of water first, then add it to the spray tank and top up to the full volume while stirring; keep agitating during spraying.
3. Spray uniformly to cover all leaves, fruit and stems; as a protective fungicide, Captan works best when applied before infection or at the very first symptoms.
4. For fruit trees, prepare the spray at the stated concentration and apply 15–20 litres of spray solution per tree, adjusting within this range to the size of the tree.
5. For damping off in nurseries, drench the soil of the nursery bed evenly with the prepared solution so that the root zone of the seedlings is wetted.
6. Repeat applications as advised by your local agricultural extension office if disease pressure continues, and spray in calm weather when rain is not expected for a few hours.

Precautions & Safety

• Wear appropriate PPE — mask/respirator, gloves, goggles and full-sleeved clothing — while mixing and spraying, and avoid inhaling the powder or spray mist; captan can irritate the eyes.
• Do not spray on the Red Delicious apple variety, on which it may cause russeting (CIB&RC warning).
• Respect the waiting period (PHI) before harvest given in the table above — 6 days for tomato and 8 days for apple, grape, potato and chillies; where the CIB&RC does not state a waiting period, follow the current product label.
• Do not let spray wash, drench water or field water reach ponds, fish tanks, streams or drinking-water sources.
• Store in the original, tightly closed container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, food and feed, and out of reach of children and livestock.
• Wash hands, face and any exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water after use, and change out of contaminated clothing before eating, drinking or smoking.

Brand names mentioned on this page are registered trademarks of their respective owners and are referenced here for identification purposes only; FarmMate is not affiliated with or endorsed by these brands. This page is for general information only — always consult your local agricultural extension office and confirm the current product label before use.