New on the Market

Question: I understand a number of new insecticides and miticides were introduced last year (2014) for use in greenhouses. can you tell more about them?

Answer: Yes, as you indicated, there were four insecticide and miticide products containing new active ingredients introduced last year (2014). It has been sometime since we have seen this many new products entering the marketplace.

There were also some other new insecticides introduced; however, these products contained already existing active ingredients. Insecticides and miticides are still primarily used to deal with insect and mite pests that attack greenhouse-grown horticultural crops. The introduction of new products for use in greenhouse production systems has been limited in recent years due to the costs associated with development and registration; however, this year, four new products with different active ingredients were commercially available for use in greenhouses. These are XXpire, Rycar, Sultan and Mainspring. Below is a brief description of each new product.

1) XXpire is a product from Dow AgroSciences that contains two active ingredients: spinetoram and sulfoxaflor. Spinetoram is very closely related to spinosad (Conserve), and therefore has the same mode of action with an Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) designation of 5. Sulfoxaflor has the IRAC designation of 4C. This is closely related to 4A, which is the IRAC designation for the neonicotinoid insecticides [imidacloprid (Marathon), dinotefuran (Safari), thiamethoxam (Flagship) and acetamiprid (TriStar)].

Although sulfoxaflor is considered a fourth-generation neonicotinoid (based on the scientific literature) the company does not consider the product a neonicotinoid. XXpire can only be applied as a foliar spray with activity against both sucking and chewing pests including aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies. The labeled rate is 2.0 to 3.5 oz./100 gallons depending on the specific pest. XXpire has systemic activity, which is due to sulfoxaflor. The product has a 12-hour restricted entry interval. The pH of the spray solution should be between 5.0 and 9.0 in order to maximize performance. There are a number of label restrictions including no more than two consecutive applications and only four applications are allowed per year.

2) Rycar is an insecticide from the SePRO Corporation containing the active ingredient, pyrifluquinazon. The mode of action of this active ingredient is unknown. Rycar has contact, ingestion, and translaminar activity. The product is labeled for use against aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs at rates between 1.6 and 6.4 fl oz./100 gallons depending on the target insect pest. The restricted entry interval is 12 hours. The insecticide may only be used on a limited number of plants including begonia, balsam, chrysanthemum, dahlia, New Guinea impatiens, pansy, petunia, marigold, snapdragon, transvaal daisy, verbena and zinnia.

3) Sultan is a miticide developed by the BASF Corporation with the active ingredient, cyflumetofen. Sultan is a miticide with activity on all life stages (egg, larva, nymph and adult) of the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). It is not effective against broad mite, cyclamen mite or bulb mite. Sultan is a contact miticide with no translaminar activity. Therefore, uniform and thorough coverage of all plant parts is essential to maximize efficacy. The label rate is 13.7 fl oz./100 gallons. Residual activity is supposedly 28 days after application. Sultan has a 12-hour restricted entry interval. The mode of action is as a mitochondria electron transport inhibitor working on complex II, resulting in inhibition of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) or energy production. This is different from other mitochondria electron transport inhibitors that act on complex I such as pyridaben (Sanmite), fenpyroximate (Akari), fenazaquin (Magus) and tolfenpyrad (Hachi-Hachi) and those that act on complex III including acequinocyl (Shuttle O) and bifenazate (Floramite).

4) Mainspring is an insecticide from Syngenta Crop Protection containing cyantraniliprole as the active ingredient. The product is registered for use in greenhouses and interiorscapes. Mainspring has a four-hour restricted entry interval, and may be applied as either a foliar spray or drench to the growing medium. It has both systemic and translaminar activity. Mainspring has a Group 28 designation with a unique mode of action that involves selective activation or modulation of the ryanodine receptors, which results in uncontrolled release of calcium ions in the insect muscles. This leads to paralysis and inhibition of feeding. The insecticide has activity on both sucking and chewing insect pests such as aphids, caterpillars, leafminers, soft scales, thrips and whiteflies. The spray application rates vary from 1.0 to 16.0 fl oz./100 gallons whereas the drench application rates are dependent on container size, which means you will have to read the label for this information.

So, you now have four new insecticide and miticide products to add to the “weapons toolbox” against insect and mite pests. However, it is important that when using any pesticide (insecticide or miticide) to always read the label thoroughly to determine if there are any restrictions and/or information associated with resistance management. This will result in maximizing the effectiveness of these new products against the targeted pests.

Raymond A. Cloyd is professor and extension specialist in the department of entomology at Kansas State University. He can be reached at rcloyd@ksu.edu.