SIMODIS® INSECTICIDE LAUNCH WELCOMED FOR MANAGEMENT OF PROBLEM PESTS

Diamondback moth and cabbage white butterfly are just two hard-to-control insect pests for vegetable growers, with the recent arrival of SIMODIS® insecticide having been muchanticipated.

SIMODIS® insecticide, with PLINAZOLIN® technology, marks the next evolution in insecticide technology for protecting plant health. Some have described it as the most significant launch since Group 28s arrived a decade ago, with this novel mode of action being the first Group 30 registered in key vegetable crops.

Syngenta demonstrated SIMODIS® insecticide on brassica crops at the Elders sponsored Victorian Vegetable Innovation Days (VicVID) in April. This was in effect the southern launch of SIMODS® insecticide, following the grand unveiling at Syngenta GrowMore in November? 2022. The Lockyer Valley event included treatments on fruiting vegetables (tomatoes) and cucurbits (rockmelon), as well as brassicas (cauliflower) and spring onions.

Elders Pakenham Agronomist Connor Steel worked closely with Butler Market Gardens , this year’s hosts for VicVID, liaising with industry and the various seed and crop protection companies in establishing the Catani site.

Mr Steel said SIMODIS® insecticide had proven to be an impressive product from an efficacy and a residual perspective. He felt comfortable that growers understood that scouting for insect pests and beneficial species was vital to make the most of the product and its numerous strengths.

“My growers who have used it have been really impressed with it and the length of control, [while] understanding it’s not systemic,” he said. “Not only does it have the residual activity, the range of pests it has been able to control has been really good too... it’s found a massive fit already, and I can see it having a large summer ahead.”

Mr Steel said the benefit of an event of this breadth was giving growers access to all things new in horticulture, relevant to their patch, from seed varieties to insecticides, fungicides and more.

“Visitors to the site were able to see what a Syngenta spray program looks like, and the level of control, not only with pests, but diseases too, from white blister control to downy mildew control. It's also the products from other suppliers, as well with bio stimulants and different seed varieties, which was really good because it doesn't happen very often,” Mr Steel said

Also in attendance was Syngenta Technical Services Lead Len Ibbotson. Mr Ibbotson said SIMODIS® insecticide offers reliable, robust and extended residual efficacy in key horticultural crops, helping growers tackle resistant and traditionally hard-to-control pests with the novel Group 30 insecticide.

“As Platinum sponsors of VicVID23 we were pleased to see so many people make the most of this opportunity to connect with the industry and see the benefits of SIMODIS® insecticide on brassicas here and MIRAVIS® Prime fungicide on leafy vegetables,” he said.

“For the 2023 event, we chose to demonstrate MIRAVIS® Prime on leafy vegetables and SIMODIS® on brassicas, as part of commercial spray programs, adjusting timings and product choices in response to seasonal growing conditions and included untreated control plots for comparison.

“The MIRAVIS® Prime program, applied to lettuce and leafy vegetable crops, displayed excellent control of Sclerotinia, even under conditions of considerable disease pressure in a high-density planting of baby-leaf lettuce.

“Similarly, SIMODIS® performed well protecting three different brassica varieties from the Lepidoptera chewing damage observed in the neighbouring untreated control plots”.

DIAMONDBACK MOTH – REDEFINING CONTROL

Resistance has been reducing the efficacy of some well-known chemistries in a growing number of horticultural areas.

In Gatton, Queensland in 2018, SIMODIS® insecticide (plus AGRAL® spray adjuvant) was compared to industry standards for the control of diamondback moth (DBM) in a cauliflower crop.

Seven days after the application (7 DAA), all insecticides effectively controlled the DBM population (Figure 1). At 14 DAA, SIMODIS® insecticide recorded significantly better DBM control than Success* Neo (Group 5), Coragen* (Group 28) and PROCLAIM® Opti (Group 6). The residual activity of SIMODIS® insecticide was evident at this application timing when the vegetative growth had slowed. By 20 DAA, larvae and pupae numbers increased nearly threefold in the untreated control suggesting a recent egg lay had occurred. SIMODIS® insecticide was the only treatment that continued to control the DBM population at 20 DAA.

Key registrations include diamondback moth, two-spotted mite and western flower thrips.

TWO-SPOTTED MITES – RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT RESOURCE

In Bowen, Queensland in 2019 SIMODIS® insecticide (plus AGRAL® spray adjuvant) was applied on a cucumber crops and compared to industry standards for control of two-spotted mites (TSM).

In the untreated control, the TSM continued to increase throughout the trial, with more than 60 motiles per 20 mm leaf disk recorded 22 days after application (Figure 2). SIMODIS® insecticide effectively reduced the density of eggs, nymphs and adult mites to very low levels. SIMODIS® insecticide continued to record strong residual activity out to 22 DAA. As a contact insecticide, residual activity of SIMODIS® insecticide will be influenced by crop growth stage and spray coverage.

Figure 2. Mean number of motile two-spotted mites (TSM) per 20 mm cucumber leaf disk plant following a single insecticide application, with treatments applied 5 weeks after transplanting. Numbers were assessed 7, 14 and 22 days after application (DAA). Bowen, Queensland (2019). Means followed by the same letter at the same assessment time are not significantly different

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds

Chris Manning, Syngenta ANZ Leafy Veg Portfolio Manager said the Catani trial site was also a fantastic opportunity for growers to discover what’s new in our industry, with vegetable seed varieties being demonstrated.

“Fairbanks Seeds, Syngenta’s distribution partner for all leafy veg and brassica seed, did a fantastic job showcasing our latest innovations,” he said.

“The field day was a huge success. We had quite a few people come through from New Zealand, Australia and our invited guests Yohan Barrier & Leszek Klimczak, Regional EAME and APAC portfolio managers on site as well

“Having our regional portfolio managers at the field days with their experience was invaluable! They could readily share the breeding history and talk to our pipeline with so much experience and offer solutions within our existing portfolio to suit our growers.”

To discuss your vegetable crop needs, speak to your local Elders store.

®Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.