Growing high-quality apples has always been a challenge. There are the uncertain variables like rainfall, sunshine and temperatures to deal with and balance against variables that can be controlled - inputs such as fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides.
Setting a crop up for a top quality harvest means all these factors need to work in the grower’s favour.
The yield potential can be sucked right out of a crop by any one of the group of sap-feeding insects such as aphids (including woolly aphid), mealybugs, scales, apple dimpling bug and Kelly’s citrus thrips.
Their feeding distorts new growth in leaves, flowers and fruit; their honeydew secretions encourage sooty mould growth; and they can transmit plant diseases. Their damaging, yield-reducing effects on trees are significant and long-lasting.
Defeat the pernicious pests
To help defeat these pernicious pests, Dow AgroSciences has introduced Transform™ insecticide - a highly effective systemic insecticide. It is approved for use in pome fruit, stone fruit, citrus and grapes.
Through its fast-acting, novel mode of action, Transform controls the main sucking insects affecting fruit trees. At the same time, Transform is soft on beneficial insects, so it has a good fit within integrated pest management programs.
Field trials have demonstrated that Transform has a significant advantage over other insecticides used to control woolly aphids, and it is highly effective against apple dimpling bug, mealybug and scale.
New chemical class
Transform contains the active ingredient Isoclast™ (sulfoxaflor) from the new sulfoximine class of chemicals (IRAC Group 4C).
There is no known insect resistance to this new class, nor is there cross-resistance between the sulfoximines and other insecticide groups.
This helps explain why Transform is so effective against sucking insects resistant to other insecticides.
Agronomists and consultants who attended product launch seminars in September and early October agreed that Transform represents a valuable new weapon in the fight to better manage costly sucking pests.
Detailed product information is available from your Dow AgroSciences Agent or from the company’s website at www.dowagro.com/au/prod/transform.htm
For more information, see Tree Fruit November 2013
