Harnessing Technology for Success
As codling moth traps dot orchards and the season gears up this month, Alex Radu, Technical Manager for the Agrovista fruit team, offers invaluable advice to growers: diversify your control strategies with a mix of products and actives.
"It's hard to predict the exact challenges this season will bring for codling moth, but pressure tends to run high in many top fruit areas," notes Alex. "While organic growers rely on spinosad and granulosis virus, conventional farmers have a range of options like Chlorantraniliprole, pyriproxyfen, and, for now, indoxacarb."
Alex's secret weapon? Prediction models. Leveraging the Agrovista Fruit Insight app, which harnesses weather data and predictive models, Alex and his team stay ahead of crucial events like female flight, mating, and larval emergence, allowing for precisely timed control measures.
The key to timely intervention
The first step in this battle against codling moth is the use of pheromone traps to gauge infestation levels. "For the first generation, our threshold is five or more moths per trap per week, dropping to three for the second generation," explains Alex. "We time our first application to coincide with egg hatching, typically seven to ten days later."
A strategic approach
For conventional programs, Alex kicks off the first-generation control with pyriproxyfen, chosen for its ovicidal and growth-regulating effects, with follow-up applications like Coragen timed strategically for peak larval hatch.
"Our applications are meticulously planned using data from Fruit Insight," Alex shares. CARPOVIRUSINE is our go-to for subsequent applications, thanks to its target-specificity and minimal impact on beneficials."
In case of a second generation, Alex's strategy shifts exclusively to CARPOVIRUSINE, prized for its zero residues and short pre-harvest interval, ensuring peace of mind for growers.
Organic solutions
For organic growers, CARPOVIRUSINE takes the lead, followed by Tracer (Spinosad) timed for peak larval hatch to tackle both codling and tortrix moths effectively.
"Timely applications are the key to success," Alex asserts confidently. With well-timed control measures, he believes codling moth programs can deliver stellar results for both conventional and organic growers alike.
Find out more about the effectiveness of CARPOVIRUSINE here.
