Cultivate is always fun and busy for me and last week was no exception. Introducing two new products (more on this in the next segment) was great, but meeting many of you, who said, “I read your newsletter!” was icing on the cake. A big “Thank you!” to those who reached out to me at the show (or at any time by email). Knowing that someone is enjoying this newsletter is much-needed encouragement.

I didn’t have a lot of chances to walk the show floor because I was tied up at the company’s booth during my scheduled time slots. but it didn’t take much for me to find something interesting. I saw flowers on a pot of echinacea were chewed up. The culprit didn’t even bother to hide—Japanese beetle!

Even though Ohio is a Category 3 state, I was still a bit uneasy about seeing the beetle. Well, it’s still an invasive pest that causes “What the … ?” and an inherent recoil deep in me. (In Japanese beetle quarantine legalese, Category 3 states are states where Japanese beetle is considered generally established and external quarantine on shipment from another state isn’t imposed.) It’s quite possible that the beetle was a member of a local population (which I saw flying happily in downtown Columbus) and somehow snuck into the trade show floor without registering. It would have been a lot more problematic if I found this beetle at the Farwest Show.

Now that I think about it, invasive species seem to have selected Columbus as a place to meet up with me. Last year, I chanced upon a spotted lanternfly on the street. This year, it’s Japanese beetle’s turn. What’s next? Box tree moth? Can my little heart take all the excitement?

The main reason I stayed busy at the company’s booth was the introduction of two products at Cultivate this year. The first one is Barracuda insecticide/miticide, which is registered for use on ornamental plants and non-bearing fruit trees in greenhouses, shadehouses, nurseries, landscapes, Christmas tree farms and conifer nurseries.

Barracuda contains 2.2% abamectin (IRAC 6) and 43.2% bifenazate (IRAC 20D). Although our slogan for Barracuda is “One bite. All mites.”, the product can be used against mites and major insect pests, including leafminers, thrips, aphids and whiteflies. The concentrations of both active ingredients are higher than most existing products, such as Avid and Minx (2% abamectin) or Floramite and Actuate (22.6%), or equal to others, such as Engulf (43.2% bifenazate). The application rates are lower than the other products because of the higher concentrations: 3 to 4 fl. oz. per 100 gal. for mites (versus 4 fl. oz. per 100 gal. in most abamectin products and 4 to 8 fl. oz. in most bifenazate products) and 6 fl. oz. per 100 gallons for insects (versus 8 fl. oz. in most abamectin products)—while still delivering equal or higher amounts of active ingredients.

The combination of abamectin and bifenazate complements each other. The broad-spectrum activity of abamectin makes Barracuda a product that can be used against all mite species and additional insect pests. The broad life stage activity of bifenazate makes Barracuda effective against all life stages of spider mites. Barracuda is also translaminar because of abamectin.

On the flip side, abamectin also makes Barracuda not compatible when sprayed directly on biological control agents. Barracuda can be used to reduce pest populations before reintroducing biological control agents seven to 14 days after application. 

Barracuda is of suspension concentrate (SC) formulation, which provides greater crop safety than the emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulation of other abamectin products. Although Barracuda is translaminar, thorough spray coverage is still very important to achieving high efficacy. You can use up to 300 gal. per acre or add a surfactant to the tank to improve coverage and efficacy.

Barracuda’s restricted entry interval (REI) is 12 hours. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for applicators and handlers includes long-sleeved shirt and long pants, chemical resistant gloves, and shoes plus socks. Mixers and loaders are required to wear chemical-resistant aprons. PPE for early-entry workers include coveralls over short-sleeved shirt and short pants, chemical-resistant gloves, and chemical resistant shoes plus socks.

Barracuda will start shipping in October. Go HERE to find more information about Barracuda, including label, tech sheet, trial data and rotation programs. Coming soon to the Barracuda website is a training video, featuring an extremely uncomfortable JC.

The second product SePRO Land introduced at Cultivate is BattleLine fungicide. BattleLine contains 42% triflumizole, which is a FRAC 3, or demethylation inhibitor (DMI) or sterol biosynthesis inhibitor (SBI) fungicide. BattleLine is registered to control fungal diseases on ornamental plants and non-bearing fruit trees in greenhouses, shadehouses, nurseries, Christmas tree and conifer plantations, and interiorscapes. BattleLine is also registered to control powdery mildew on greenhouse-grown cucumber and tomato crops and transplants.

BattleLine is of SC formulation and has contact and systemic activities, which provides prevention and early curative efficacy. This fungicide can be applied as foliar spray, drench or cutting soak at the rates of 2 to 16 fl. oz. per 100 gal. depending on diseases and application methods. Triflumizole is a proven active ingredient against Fusarium root and crown rot, black root rot, Rhizoctonia root rot and aerial blight, Cylindrocladium rot or canker, rusts, and scabs. It’s also effective against powdery mildew, Botrytis, leaf spots and other fungal diseases. BattleLine shouldn’t be used against oomycete and bacterial diseases.

   

Triflumizole is placed in the imidazole chemical class, whereas all other FRAC 3 fungicides are placed in the triazole chemical class. Triazoles are known to have plant growth regulating effect (some of the commercial plant growth regulators (PGR), such as ancymidol, flurprimidol, paclobutrazole and uniconazole are all triazoles). Imidazoles have less potent and persistent PGR effect than triazoles, therefore, triflumizole also has lower risk of plant growth regulating effects than other FRAC 3 fungicides.

In a trial I conducted, I found label rates of propiconazole (Banner Maxx II) to cause stunting in sunpatiens, pansy and other bedding plants. But BattleLine at 2, 4 and 8 fl. oz. per 100 gal. didn’t cause growth regulation in 10 bedding plant species tested.

The REI of BattleLine is 12 hours. PPE for applicators and handlers includes long-sleeved shirt and long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, and shoes plus socks. Early entry workers are required to wear coveralls, chemical-resistant gloves and shoes plus socks.

Just like Barracuda, BattleLine will begin shipping in October. Label, tech sheet, trial data and other information can be found by going HERE.

By the way, you probably wonder if SEPRO Land is the same as SePRO Corporation. It is. SePRO Corporation was rebranded as SEPRO Scientific just before Cultivate. The brand refresh reflects the company’s focus on science-based solutions in terrestrial (SEPRO Land includes turf and ornamental solutions) and aquatic systems (SEPRO Water unifies aquatic weeds, algae and water quality solutions). You can continue to count on SEPRO Land to provide you with new products, and pest- and plant-management solutions. 

Those who deal with oomycete diseases are familiar with Aliette. Originally introduced by Bayer more than 30 years ago, Aliette (80% fosetyl-Al or aluminum tris [O-ethyl phosphonate] if you want the full, tongue-twisting name) is a FRAC P07 fungicide that has been the go-to for many folks in controlling downy mildew, Phytophthora and Pythium. It’s also used for suppressing fire blight and bacterial blight.

Envu has renamed Aliette as Teclera. The name has changed, but everything else remains the same. Teclera is still 80% fosetyl-Al, water-dispersible granule (WDG) formulation and an effective tool against oomycete and bacterial diseases in greenhouses, ornamental and conifer nurseries, and landscapes. This systemic fungicide can be applied as foliar spray, soil drench or media incorporation.

The REI is 24 hours and PPE for applicators and handlers includes long-sleeved shirt and long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, shoes plus socks, and protective eyewear. PPE for early entry workers include coveralls, chemical-resistant gloves, shoes plus socks and protective eyewear. 

Ask for Teclera when you use up your Aliette in the storeroom and need to reorder. It’s now available for purchase nationwide.

Two different groups of products have been introduced to help with improving plant health and resilience from the ground up.

BioWorks has introduced GreenSpring, which is a liquid mixed-mineral fertilizer containing nitrogen, sulfur, molybdenum and zinc. GreenSpring can be used on ornamental, vegetable and fruit crops grown in fields, greenhouses, high tunnels and nurseries. This fertilizer is intended for use at plant establishment, particularly during planting and early vegetative growth. According to BioWorks, GreenSpring promotes active root growth and soil microbial activity, which helps crops improve nutrient use efficiency and tolerate abiotic stresses.

Go HERE for label, info sheet, trial data and other documents related to GreenSpring.

BioSafe Systems has introduced its SynQ line, which includes three microbial products: RadiSynQ, VivaSynQ and ClariSynQ. The active ingredients in the SynQ line of products are not specified, only that these are microbial consortia.

These new products are developed in partnership with LIVENTIA and each are intended as a companion for BioSafe’s existing products (such as peroxyacetic acid and BioPhyter) and for different uses. RadiSynQ is intended to support nutrient uptake and root growth in greenhouse and hydroponic crops. VivaSynQ improves soil microbiome and resilience against plant stress for tree and nursery crops. ClariSynQ reduces biodegradable organic load, thus helps prevent clogged filters and maintain a balanced ecosystem in water bodies. When in combination with peroxyacetic acid products, the SynQ line of products can support root-zone biology and the peroxyacetic acid products help suppress pathogens and clean up irrigation systems.

You know how someone you respect comes up to you and says, “Hey, what you shared in your newsletter is all good, but … ” I don’t know about you, but my mind immediately goes to, “What did I do?!”

This same scenario played out during Cultivate when Brian Whipker of North Carolina State University came up to the booth. Instead of being chewed out for one thing or another, I was given a book and a list of great resources to share with y’all.

I cited several e-GRO Alerts about viruses on ornamental crops in the last issue of this newsletter. What Brian shared with me is a list of photographic “insider guides” on the pest, nutritional and physiological disorders of several common ornamental crop species. These guides are authored by Brian and his colleagues and graduate students. The collections of photographs in these guides come from Brian’s more than 30 years of being on the frontline of researching and teaching about diagnosing and managing biotic and abiotic disorders.

Brian gave me a copy of Greenhouse Virus Insider, which contains over 280 images of the symptoms of viral infections. The Diagnosing Nutritional Disorders Insider has 64 pages and contains over 130 images. The Plant Root Zone Insider has over 130 images in 232 pages. And there are crop-specific problem diagnostic guides for coleus, ipomoea, gerbera, marigold, New Guinea impatiens, ornamental pepper, poinsettia, scaevola and tomato. Two other publications—Troubleshooting Petunia Disorders and Rose Nutrient Disorders—are also available.

You can order these guides by going HERE.