Hawaii coffee farmers have a new weapon to fight a devastating plant pathogen harming the industry.

The state Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a March request for off-label use of a fungicide to combat coffee leaf rust, or Hemileia vastatrix, on Hawaii farms.

Priaxor Xemium, a fungicide made by BASF, doesn’t have regular EPA approval for use on coffee plants, but is approved for use on other food crops including strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, sugar cane, soybeans and wheat.

Under the new EPA emergency exemption, the fungicide can be used on coffee plants for up to one year or until such use is added to the product label by the EPA and BASF, according to HDOA.

“Hawaii coffee growers now have an added method to combat the coffee leaf rust which is extremely difficult to manage,” Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, HDOA director, said in a statement. “Other efforts to minimize the damage and spread of coffee leaf rust include quarantines on the movement of coffee plants and associated material, the import of disease-resistant coffee plants and the development of integrated pest management strategies.”

Coffee has been a roughly $50 million industry in Hawaii in recent years, and the second-biggest crop in the state by value.

The fungus can cause severe plant defoliation that leads to stunted plant and coffee cherry growth. HDOA said estimated crop losses can range from 30% to 80%.

Gov. David Ige declared an emergency for the industry in February following a move in November by the state Board of Agriculture determining that Maui and Hawaii island were infested with coffee leaf rust and restricting movement of coffee plants, plant parts and certain materials on those islands. The restriction was extended to Oahu and Lanai in March.

Under the EPA exemption, coffee growers must follow label instructions, inform HDOA’s Pesticides Branch via email at least seven days prior to using the fungicide, and report use within 10 days of application.