The active ingredient of LifeGard® branded products is a naturally occurring bacterium (Bacillus mycoides isolate J or BmJ) which triggers the plant’s natural defense mechanism within the plant to fight against disease. This response to pathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses in the phenomenon known as Induced Response, or IR. The BmJ bacterium “switches on” a plant’s resistance genes causing a cascade of metabolic responses by the plant to limit infection and the development of disease. LifeGard is unique in that it works entirely as a microbial IR activator with no direct antagonistic effect on plant pathogens.
