Belt Insecticide Now Available
Peanut growers are aware of the significant role that armyworms, loopers, velvetbean caterpillar and the recent increase in heliothines and other hungry Lepidoptera species play in their fields. Collectively, they cause economic loss that university entomologists measure in millions. Now, peanut growers will have an additional control option this season with the introduction of Belt insecticide from Bayer CropScience.
“Belt is a highly selective insecticide that targets many economically significant worm species,” says Lee Hall, product manager. “It features fast action and extended residual control to help preserve yield potential. Plus, it’s already registered in cotton, soybeans, tobacco and other Southern crops, so growers engaged in most rotations maintain full crop flexibility.”
Belt is active on most worm pests, including resistant fall armyworm populations and late-stage larvae. Worms stop feeding just minutes after application, Hall says, and the ensuing residual control can last two weeks or more with minimal risk to beneficial insects and without flaring mites. This makes it an excellent addition to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
“In this crop, Belt features a mode of action with no known cross-resistance to insecticides from other chemical classes,” Hall says.
Belt causes worms to stop feeding immediately. Because it is highly selective to worm pests, Belt is not harmful to parasitoids, syrphid flies, lacewings, predatory bugs, predatory mites, or adult and larval ladybird beetles.
Belt will provide peanut growers an additional and valuable management tool when used with other Bayer products such as Provost fungicide for excellent compatibility and flexibility.
Visit www.BayerCropScience.us for additional information on this and other products from Bayer CropScience.
Production Of Temik Stopped
Bayer CropScience recently announced that the company would not restart the transitional production of methyl isocyanate (MIC) at its site in Institute, W. V., eliminating the production of Temik this year.
The company will start with decommissioning of the reconfigured MIC and associated production units as well as the closure of the Woodbine, Ga., plant. Bayer CropScience was planning to start the MIC unit and begin transitional production of Temik brand insecticide early this year, but uncertainty over delays led the company to the conclusion that production would not be ready for the 2011 growing season.
“This was a very difficult decision, particularly as our employees did everything possible to ensure the operational safety of our newly constructed MIC unit during the remaining production period,”said Achim Noack, member of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience. “Our business case was based on our ability to supply the market needs beginning in 2011, and with the recent delays, that plan is no longer economically viable.”
Following an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Bayer CropScience agreed to phase-out Temik and had timed production to end in 2012, to allow for an orderly market exit and meet immediate customer needs. PG
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Weed Resistance Fighters Honored
The Resistance Fighter of the Year program, sponsored by Syngenta, recognizes those leaders who are helping to educate growers about the importance of proactive management and equipping them with information and tools to combat resistance in their fields.
The Resistance Fighters of the Year were Keith Baioni, business manager of crop protection products for Jimmy Sanders Inc., Cleveland, Miss., and Steve Muhlenbruch, agronomist, Farmer’s Cooperative Company, Dows, Iowa.
In Mississippi, where six weeds have been confirmed as glyphosate resistant, Baioni developed the concept of F.A.R.M.’N. (Fall Applied Resistance Management Now) as a means to raise awareness of the challenges growers face year-round and their need to develop a comprehensive weed-management plan well before the growing season.
“Producers need to be proactive and develop resistance-management plans that are tailor-made to the specific weed issues on their farms,” said Baioni. “Product mix, mode of action, crop rotation and tillage should all be given careful consideration when planning for successful weed management.”
Baioni recommends products like Gramoxone Inteon herbicide for burndown and early post-emergence applications of residual herbicides like Prefix in soybeans and Halex GT in corn.
In north-central Iowa, where resistance has not become a big problem yet, Muhlenbruch emphasizes the importance of timing and scouting fields so problems can be addressed quickly if necessary. “If we don’t change things up, glyphosate resistance is bound to happen, and it won’t be pretty.”
To learn more about the Resistance Fighter of the Year program and those honored with the award, visit www.resistancefighter.com. The site also offers news and information about glyphosate weed resistance, a blog and a customized solution builder. PG