Reliable Pest Control for Winter Crops
The drop in air temperature during the first decade of April did not significantly affect the spread of pests in winter crops, except in regions with snow cover and a substantial decrease in nighttime temperatures. Therefore, specialists from Ukravit recommend conducting regular field monitoring to ensure timely insecticide treatments when the pest economic threshold (PET) is exceeded.
This is reported by AgroReview
“Despite the cold snap, pests are not rushing to give up their positions, – notes Alexander Myglovets, head of the agronomy department at Ukravit. – According to our regional technology support managers from various areas, in winter rapeseed crops, the emergence of hidden weevils from the soil is gradually continuing, and after the frost ends, the feeding of whiteflies will resume. In some places, cruciferous flea beetles and caterpillars of the winter moth will be observed. In grain crops, soil pests are becoming more active, with occurrences of the harmful shield bug, sand-colored click beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, and cereal flies, among others. With the increase in average daily temperatures, their harmfulness will only intensify, and without control or with insufficient effectiveness, there is a risk of losing a significant portion of the future harvest. This concerns not only damage to the root system and above-ground parts of plants but also an increased risk of infection by dangerous diseases. Therefore, the infestation of fields by pests must be constantly monitored, and when the PET is exceeded, appropriate insecticides should be used.”
For the first spraying of grain and the second and third for winter rapeseed, depending on the growing region, Alexander recommends prioritizing the insecticide HimArs (thiamethoxam, 250 g/l + lambda-cyhalothrin, 80 g/l + alpha-cypermethrin, 15 g/l).
The different mechanisms of action of the active substances in the product ensure control over a wide range of pests. Thiamethoxam is quickly absorbed and moves through the plant’s vascular system, and upon receiving a lethal dose, it blocks nicotine receptors in the postsynaptic membrane of the synapse, resulting in the cessation of nerve impulse transmission and the pest’s motor activity, preventing it from continuing to feed. Meanwhile, lambda-cyhalothrin and alpha-cypermethrin disrupt the permeability of cell membranes and act as sodium channel inhibitors, leading to excessive release of acetylcholine during the passage of nerve impulses through the synaptic chain, causing pests to die from severe nerve overstimulation.
On rapeseed, HimArs is effective against the stem and cabbage hidden weevil, cruciferous flea beetles, and later against the rapeseed flower beetle, weevils, and bugs. On grains, it is effective against the harmful shield bug, aphids, thrips, leafhoppers, and cereal flies, among others. The complex action of the product will ensure both their immediate death and prolonged protection of the crops.