Scaffolds 01 index

(Art Agnello, ama4@nysaes.cornell.edu, Entomology, Geneva)

It's been an eventful fall and winter in the agrichemical industry, with changes in company names (Novartis became Syngenta, Elf Atochem became Cerexagri), ownership (BASF bought American Cyanamid, Dow AgroSciences bought Rohm & Haas, Valent Biosciences bought Abbott Labs), and personnel (too many to keep track of). On top of this, a number of new products are in various stages of being registered and other existing ones are up for label expansions. As always, the complexity of the New York State registration process has a lot of people guessing about the status of certain products that are available outside the Empire State but not here. I've taken a straw poll of the various 'label races', and offer their standings as of last week, if only to help with rumor control. (Incidentally, to answer the perennial question, the Recommends are at the printers, and no one is more impatient than I am for them to be available.)

Starting first with what's already labeled:

AZA-DIRECT (azadirachtin)

Company: Gowan

Classification: Botanical

Mode of Action: Contact and ingestion activity. Acts as a repellent, antifeedant, and by interfering with the molting process.

Targeted Pests: Plum curculio, bugs, leafhoppers, aphids, leafrollers, apple maggot, mites, thrips. Generally lower efficacy than that required by most commercial growers; may be a good option for organic production.

DANITOL (fenpropathrin)

Company: Valent Biosciences

Classification: Pyrethroid

Mode of Action: Contact activity. Toxic to many beneficial species.

Targeted Pests: Leafminers, leafhoppers, leafrollers, tarnished plant bug, aphids, plum curculio, internal leps, apple maggot, European red mite.

Registration Status: NY has a label, but limits use to 10.7 oz/acre.

Next, registrations that are "close":

Confirm - Special Local Need label on pome fruits anticipated again this year; as before, seasonal use would be limited to 3 applications. Currently awaiting a DEC Fish & Wildlife Section review to come back based on a study that was recently submitted by Rohm & Haas.

Pyramite - New label expansion to include stonefruit and grapes BUT Long Island will be taken off the label for all uses. Decision from DEC should be imminent.

Savey - New label will have a 28-day PHI, 3-6 oz/A use rate on apples, pears, and stone fruit. Strawberries also on label. Formulation will be a 50DF (dry flowable). DEC has all the registration information, no projected date for a decision.

[Apogee and Messenger — Word is that the DEC is working on getting these products registered in time for use this season, acting on the efforts by Herb Aldwinckle, Steve Beer, and George Lamont to provide supporting information for timely approval of the labels.]

Finally, those that are "beyond the horizon":

ACTARA (thiamethoxam)

Company: Syngenta (Novartis)

Classification: A thianicotinyl (neonicotinoid). Related to Provado.

Mode of Action: Systemic insecticide with both contact and ingestion activity. Toxic to bees, slight toxicity to most beneficials, nontoxic to predatory mites.

Targeted Pests: Aphids, plum curculio, European apple sawfly, leafhoppers, mealybugs

Observations: Rapid uptake of residue from leaf surface into plant tissues. Some activity on mirids (tarnished plant bug, mullein plant bug), little on leps.

Registration Status: Federal label expected on pome fruits within the next 2 months; submission of NY package can't take place until after this occurs.

AVAUNT (indoxacarb)

Company: DuPont

Classification: Oxadiazine, a new chemical class.

Mode of Action: Stomach and contact poison. Slight toxicity to beneficials and bees.

Targeted Pests: Plum curculio, apple maggot, leafhoppers, codling moth, oriental fruit moth.

Observations: Cross-resistance with OP's suspected in leafrollers; not active on scales or aphids; possible negative effect on Stethorus punctum.

Registration Status: NY data package about to be sent to DEC, who will have 6 months to rule on application. Don't expect to see it this season.

CALYPSO (thiacloprid)

Company: Bayer

Classification: chloronicotinyl (neonicotinoid), same class as Provado.

Mode of Action: Contact and stomach activity. Minimal effect on beneficials and bees.

Targeted Pests: Plum curculio, codling moth, oriental fruit moth, leafminers, leafhoppers, apple maggot, sucking insects. Some systemic activity in plant tissue. Not active on woolly apple aphid.

Registration Status: Federal label not expected before 2002.

ESTEEEM (pyriproxyfen)

Company: Valent Biosciences

Classification: IGR, juvenile hormone analog.

Mode of Action: Taken up by insect cuticle, interferes with molting and egg hatch and development. Safe to most beneficials and bees.

Targeted Pests: San Jose scale, pear psylla.

Registration Status: Valent projects NY label by July or August 2001; too late to be of use this season.

INTREPID (methoxyfenozide)

Company: Rohm & Haas

Classification: A molt accelerating compound. Related to Confirm.

Mode of Action: Initiates premature molting of lepidopterous larvae. Initially, causes larvae to stop feeding then die from starvation. Primarily active through ingestion.

Targeted Pests: Leafrollers, codling moth, oriental fruit moth.

Registration Status: Has a federal label, but DEC won't consider this product until all the registration questions about Confirm have been settled (which hasn't happened yet).

PROCLAIM (emamectin benzoate)

Company: Syngenta (Novartis)

Classification: An avermectin, related to Agri-Mek.

Mode of Action: Mostly ingestion activity, some contact efficacy. Safe to most beneficials; toxic to bees on contact, virtually safe when dried.

Targeted Pests: Lepidoptera, such as leafrollers and leafminers. Needs adjuvant (e.g., horticultural mineral oil, Dyne-Amic)

Registration Status: Federal label not expected before 2002.

end of this issue

scaffolds 2001 index