Sucking insect pests have always been a major pain point for growers.
Sucking insects can overwhelm crops quickly leading to reduced yield and harvest quality and with the approach of summer, fruit, vegetable and Cotton crops are particularly vulnerable.
With the recent availability of Flikka from Colin Campbell (Chemicals), horticulture and cotton growers have another cost-effective option for the control of sucking pests.
Flikka is based on the active ingredient flonicamid and has a unique mode of action.
It is classified as a Group 29 insecticide and is the only active ingredient in that grouping.
Flikka therefore, is an ideal product to rotate to in any program aiming to prevent the development of resistance to sucking insect pests.
National sales manager for Campbells Ramsay Zreikat says Flikka offers a lot of benefits to growers.
“It is very specific to piercing and sucking pests, so, in addition to its resistance management benefits, Flikka is soft on beneficials and is well suited to situations where IPM is practiced,” he said
“There is no known cross resistance with floonicamid to other insecticides. “
Honeybees exhibit good tolerance to Flikka, though applications are recommended in the early morning or late evening when bees are not actively foraging.”
Flikka is both systemic and translaminar in its action and works via both ingestion and contact.
It is active on both nymph and larval stages. It disrupts the insect’s nervous system and has a strong antifeeding activity which takes effect shortly after application.
In horticulture Flikka is registered for use in pome fruit, tomatoes, potatoes, cucurbits, strawberries and nursery stock on a range of aphid, mealybug, mirid and whitefly pests.
While in cotton the product is registered for control of mirids and aphids.
“We are already supplying product to the horticultural market and expect demand to ramp up as the season heats up."
“With the outlook for cotton areas looking good, we also expect to see a lot of demand for mirid control early season, and aphid control later in the season to avoid the formation of honeydew,” he said.
Flikka is formulated as a wettable granule that mixes easily and disperses well and can be applied by air as well as by ground.
Flikka from Colin Campbell (Chemicals)is an ideal product to rotate in any program aiming to prevent the development of resistance to sucking insect pests.
It is conveniently packed in 1kg and 5kgplastic jugs that pour easily for grower convenience.
It is rainfast in 3-4 hours and provides residual control of 2-3 weeks depending on insect pressure. Flikka has good compatibility and short withholding periods.
“In addition to its straight-out benefits, we also believe that growers will be attracted by how economic it is to use Flikka.
“It will be a complement to our wide range of other brands such as Cheers (chlorothalonil), Vitra (cuprichydroxide), and Peridot (fluazinam),” said Mr Zreikat.
Colin Campbell (Chemicals) is a totally Australian owned company.
“Many people are unaware that Campbells are a family company that has been in operation for over 80 years. This means we can be very nimble, and quick to respond to customer needs, market trends and technical questions.
“We have decades of experience in dealing with international suppliers and manufacturers. Our global networks and relationships are well established and are what enable Campbells to have a continual pipeline of new products and technologies like Flikka. ”Contact your local Campbells representative for more information.
