Greenhouse and Nursery - New Pesticides for 2009

The following is information on new pesticides available in 2009 for greenhouse and nursery use.

Kontos:

Bayer Company has introduced a new insecticide, Spirotetranat, sold under the brand name Kontos and distributed by OHP Company. This insecticide is a true systemic and is very similar to Judo which was released 3 or 4 years ago. Kontos has a label for greenhouses use, including application to vegetable transplants, nurseries and interiorscapes. Kontos can control most species of aphids. This might be a good material to try this spring for aphid control on pansy crops. It is also very effective in controlling whiteflies. Kontos contains an active ingredient with a mode of action classified as a Group 23 insecticide – lipid biosynthesis inhibitor (LBI). In studies to determine cross-resistance there have been no resistance detected.

Apply as a foliar or drench Application

Kontos can be applied as a foliar spray or applied as a soil drench. If you apply it as a foliar spray expect about 14 days of control. When applied as a soil drench the material is very water insoluble and will take 3 – 5 days to be uptaken by the plant. Once in the plant it will provide 30 - 40 days of aphid control. The rate is 1.7 oz in 100 gallons of water for use on herbaceous species and 1.7 – 3.4 oz/100 gallons of water for woody plants. Kontos works fairly well in controlling twospotted spider mites, but it is best applied when a population is small. It is presently being tested for efficacy in controlling thrips, fungus gnats and leafminers.

A different REI for greenhouse and nursery applications

If you apply as a foliar spray the material is listed as an eye irritant so there is a 24 hour REI. Applied as a soil drench the labels states “workers are allowed to enter the treated area if there will be no contact with anything that has been treated”.

Sucrashield:

Sucrashield is a new product that is based on a tobacco plant extract and is being marketed by Natural Forces. The active ingredients, sucrose octanoate esters, have an LD50 of 750 to1500 ppm. This product is classified by EPA as non-toxic to people and is in the same category as soaps and oil insecticides. Sucrashield bears a WARNING on the label because of eye sensitivity. There is no information on the label about phytotoxicity, so caution is recommended until you have tested it yourself or until phytotoxicity test data is available. Sucrashield is labeled for controlling aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies and caterpillars on vegetables, and herbs in greenhouses and outdoors. This gives vegetable and herb growers one more option for insect control. It is labeled for use on ornamentals, flowers and bedding plants. Applications need to be repeated at 7 – 10 day intervals. This material is applied at a label rate of 104 oz (a little shy of a gallon) to 100 gallons of water for pests such as whitefly.

Reprinted from the March 6, 2009 edition of the Greenhouse TPM/IPM Bi-Weekly Report from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Central Maryland Research and Education Center http://www.ipmnet.umd.edu/09Mar06G.pdf