Changes coming to Infopest
In our last newsletter we hinted at some changes coming to Infopest. Since then, the team has been working at updating our Infopest website to give it a new look and feel and to enable users to securely register and pay for their annual subscription online. We know that Infopest is a valuable service which is trusted as the go-to source of information on chemical use for as many as 4,500 registered users. This service comes at a cost and in order to maintain and upgrade this service, it is necessary to introduce a fee for use.
Yearly subscriptions will now be charged as follows:
Growcom grower members: Free – included in your Growcom membership
Individuals: $50 +GST annually
Students: $20 + GST annually
Group subscriptions can be negotiated with larger businesses, Government organisations, and education facilities.
Considering users once paid over $300 a quarter for the Infopest disc, we think this represents great value and will enable us to offer further benefits to users as we make improvements to the search site.
Changes will be implemented in June 2017. We look forward to your continued custom and to serving you better with your chemical access searches into the future.
APVMA considers new herbicide, bicyclopyrone.
Earlier this year in the United States, Syngenta introduced wheat growers to new technology available this growing season. Talinor™ herbicide (bicyclopyrone + bromoxynil) is a post-emergence herbicide developed to control broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley.
It is pleasing to see that the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) are also considering a registration application for Talinor Herbicide in Australia.
The Australian proposed product is listed as schedule 5 and will be used for the post-emergent control of a range of broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley. APVMA’s assessment has been positive of the product and public comment is welcome on whether the application for registration of the product should be granted. Individuals can make written submissions before the close of business on 1 May 2017. The Public Release Summary can be viewed here.
Talinor™ has two active ingredients and two modes of action. It contains 175 g/L bromoxynil present as the octanoate, 37.5 g/L bicyclopyrone and 9.4 g/L cloquintocetmexyl in an emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation. Bicyclopyrone is the new active that is being assessed as part of this application.
Bicyclopyrone is a selective herbicide. It is a member of the triketone sub-group of the class of herbicides that inhibit 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (4-HPPD). There are no herbicides of the triketone subgroup currently registered in Australia. For weed resistance management purposes bicyclopyrone is a Group H herbicide. Bromoxynil-octanoate has the inhibition of photosynthesis at photosystem II mode of action. Bromoxynil is a member of the Group C herbicides, in the nitrile sub-group. Cloquintocet-mexyl is a crop safener, which accelerates the detoxification of herbicides in cereals and is not subject to a resistance management strategy. For weed resistance management purposes Talinor Herbicide is a Group C, H herbicide.
Syngenta promotes this herbicide as delivering excellent standalone control of resistant and other difficult-to-control broadleaf weeds, including kochia, lambsquarters, mayweed chamomile, Russian thistle and wild buckwheat, and particularly those that have become resistant to ALS-inhibitor, synthetic auxin and glyphosate herbicides.
All going well, wheat and barley growers can look forward to a new tool to assist with resistance management in the near future.
Sponsor Agsafe and Freshcare: supporting global food safety compliance
Agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemical suppliers to Australia’s food croppers can wear their Agsafe Accreditation proudly, with accredited stores demonstrating they are helping producers meet the strict food safety requirements of the nation’s top five supermarket groups.
Freshcare was established in 2000 to assist producers to demonstrate their food safety practices and comply with customer requirements for produce supplied to Aldi, Coles, Costco, Metcash and Woolworths. In 2017 Freshcare will be benchmarking to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) to ensure the program continues to grow.
One of the requirements of Freshcare certification is for producers to manage their suppliers to ensure that all food safety risks to produce are managed. This includes purchasing chemicals from compliant businesses, such as those accredited to Agsafe.
Agsafe General Manager, Alison Carmichael, recognises the non-profit organisation’s life-cycle schemes as integral to responsible agricultural stewardship.
“Our industry-supported Code of Practice is recognised at the highest level and the more codes like Freshcare and Agsafe support and reference each other, the better the outcomes for everyone,” she said.
“We commend Freshcare on their alignment with our programs, which are well-known and well-established.
“Growers can be assured the advice they receive about chemical products is trustworthy and meets with all legal requirements.”
Freshcare Executive Officer, Clare Hamilton-Bate, said,: “It’s important for growers to ensure they are buying chemicals from suppliers that comply with the applicable requirements of the Freshcare Codes, which Agsafe accreditation provides.”
From Sponsor, Nufarm: Need a ‘wingman’ for your herbicide?
Nufarm’s Avadex Xtra becomes the ultimate wingman when paired with pre-emergent herbicides – providing consistent, reliable control of problem weeds, including annual ryegrass. When partnered with TriflurX, the two provide a solution for the management of these and other weeds. The synergistic benefits from the combined application provide improved weed control compared with using the two products individually.
Avadex Xtra contains 500 g/L of the active ingredient tri-allate. Avadex Xtra is a group J herbicide that works by inhibiting fat synthesis. TriflurX contains 480 g/L of the active ingredient trifluralin. TriflurX is a group a group D herbicide that works by inhibiting tubulin formation.
When both herbicides are incorporated and come into contact with moisture they turn into a gaseous vapour, filling the pore spaces within soil. This vapour is then absorbed by the coleoptile and roots of germinating weeds, inhibiting growth.
The combination of Avadex Xtra and TriflurX is registered to control: Annual ryegrass, wireweed/hogweed, wild oats, cereal oats, phalaris spp., fumitory, sand fescue, silver grass, winter grass, paradoxa grass/canary grass, corn gromwell, sheepwood and rough poppy.
The combination of Avadex Xtra and TriflurX is registered for soil surface suppression of: Brome grass, barley grass, three-cornered jack/doublegee, caltrop, yellow burr weed, deadnettle and speedwell.
As a bonus, qualifying Top Cropper members can earn double points on their purchase. Click here for terms and conditions
You can download the 2017 pre-emergent efficacy guide too.
For more information on Nufarm’s Avadex Xtra click here.
Stats on insecticide use
Insecticides are formulated to kill, harm, repel, or mitigate one or more species of insects and offer several advantages to producers. According to a report from MarketsandMarkets, the insecticide market is projected to grow to reach USD 20.82 Billion by 2020.
Analysis of the market has shown that:
- Organophosphates accounted for the largest market share in 2015
- The U.S. and U.K contribute to a larger share for these insecticides globally
- Cereals and grains accounted for the highest consumption of insecticide use in 2015
- Baits were the formulation which is projected to have the highest growth rate for use
- The Asia-Pacific region is projected to be the fastest-growing market between 2016-2022
Key players in the market include BASF SE (Germany), Bayer CropScience Ag (Germany), Dow AgroSciences (The Dow Chemical Company) (U.S), ChemChina (Syngenta AG) (China), E.I du Pont de Nemours and Company (U.S.)
For more info click here.
The surest way to extend the life of insecticides: resistance management strategies in grains and pasture:
You have likely heard it time and time again, that using insecticides as the primary means of pest control in crops places strong selection pressure for the development of resistance.
A prime example is the green peach aphid (GPA). In Australia, GPA is known to have resistance to four different chemical groups: synthetic pyrethroids (e.g. alpha-cypermethrin); organophosphates (e.g. dimethoate); carbamates (e.g. pirimicarb); and, as detected in 2016, neonicotinoids (e.g. imidacloprid) . This recent discovery of neonicotinoid resistance means that sulfloxaflor is the last chemical group available to grain growers without any known resistance in GPA. Another pest with increasing concerns around resistance and limited chemical control options is the redlegged earth mite (RLEM), a major pest of pastures and broadacre crops.
The strategic use of insecticides with different modes of actions is a key pillar in the fight to minimise the selection pressure for resistance in agricultural pests. It is an integral principle of science-backed Resistance Management Strategies (RMSs), two of which have been created to combat RLEM and GPA.
With the 2017 winter-cropping season kicking off soon, growers and advisers involved in grain and pasture production are urged to follow these RMSs.
Regional differences in GPA resistance levels across Australia mean that regionally relevant approaches are needed.
To download the GPA RMS click here.
Similarly, due to local differences in resistance levels in RLEM, there is a need to implement a RMS that is locally relevant.
To download the RLEM RMS for Western GRDC region click here .
To download the RLEM RMS for the Southern GRDC region click here .
For further information contact:
Dr Paul Umina or Julia Severi, cesar
Phone: (03) 9349 4723
Email: pumina@cesaraustralia.com, jseveri@cesaraustralia.com
Pest Spot – Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP)
The National Management Group (NMG) for Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) —comprising all Australian governments, affected industries and Plant Health Australia—has agreed that TPP is no longer technically feasible to eradicate. Since the detection of Tomato Potato Psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) in WA, The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) have been undertaking surveillance in commercial crops and backyard gardens in the Perth area.
The NMG has agreed to continue with the current TPP response plan for two weeks, while a transition to management plan is prepared. During this period, surveillance to confirm the absence of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) will also continue. Further information on the Quarantine Area Notice can be found on the DAFWA webpage.
The Tomato Psyllid is a sap sucking insect that is responsible for economic losses to tomato and potato crops as well as other solanaceous crops. While feeding by the psyllid may adversely affect the hosts, the main issue with this species is that it can be a vector of the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum which causes ‘zebra chip’ disease in potatoes.
Surveillance has not shown any evidence of CLso, which is some consolation for industry.
The Tomato psyllid has a long history as a pest in tomatoes and potatoes dating back to records in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s respectively. Besides plant species of economic importance (tomato, potato, capsicum, sweet potato, egg plant), psyllid pests utilise many other hosts that are ornamentals or weeds. In 2009 Biosecurity Australia listed 63 host plants, 36 of which are known to occur in Australia.
The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture has put together a key for identifying the tomato psyllid and how it differs from other psyllids occurring in Australia, click here.
Adult tomato psyllids measure 1.3-1.9 mm in length (2.8-3.2 mm including the forewings). When freshly moulted the body is initially pale green or light amber but soon darkens to mainly brown or almost black. The head and body have distinctive whitish markings which vary in size and intensity. The antennae have a striped appearance due to the lighter colouration of the basal two-thirds of segments 3-8. More details on the diagnostic characteristics of adult tomato psyllid are given in the key.
The WA government is advising that commercial growers check their crops and report any signs of the psyllid to the department using the My Pest Guide Reporter App
Growers are advised not to spray specifically for the psyllid until their crops have been surveyed and appropriate chemicals for use have been identified.
However, Emergency permits have been issued for treatment of tomato-potato psyllid in nursery stock, potato, sweetpotato, tomato, capsicum, chilli, peppers and eggplant.
For more information on these permits, please see Permit 84229 and Permit 84245.
Growers in other states who think that this pest may be present in their crops or backyards should report this to their state or territory department.
Useful links:
The Department of Agriculture has produced the Diagnostic Protocol for the detection of the Tomato Potato Psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc)
Video:Tomato potato psyllid: How to check my vegetable patch | Department of Agriculture and Food WA