The dishwashing liquid noted in the article Sue posted was Dawn Ultra and the work was done prior to the publication of the journal article in 2004. Proctor and Gamble still markets this product, but has reformulated it within the last 2-4 years - at least in the southeastern USA. At the time the study was done, Dawn Ultra contained an antibacterial agent, Triclosan at 0.10%. This material was the center of much controversy over the years as to whether or not it was a carcinogen. I'm not taking sides on that issue as there seems to be both scientific work and a lot of opinions/hype on both sides of the issue. In addition to dishwashing liquids, Triclosan was a common ingredient in many other products including toothpaste. Triclosan is 5-chloro-2-(2,4,dichlorophenoxy)phenol. Today, the "antibacterial" agent had been changed to methlyisothiazolinone, but there is no listing on the Dawn Untra bottle regarding the percentage in the product. This "new" material is referred to as a biocide, a preservative and an antimicrobial. While I noticed no listed concerns in a Google search regarding being a carcinogen, there are numerous references to it be being a very strong allergen. I didn't read any of the materials out there regarding tests run on the material.
The question regarding daylilies, however, is does the new antibacterial agent in Dawn have a similar effect on the rust fungus? I am neither promoting nor raising doubt about the function of this type of material in a household product. However, I would suggest that the efficacy of the reformulated Dawn Ultra in a spray program to control daylily rust is unknown at this time. While both materials are antimicrobial, we know that there are many products sold as fungicides that do not control the daylily rust fungus, so in the same manner the new dishwashing liquid additive may or may not affect the daylily rust fungus.
Larry
