It’s now been three years since Imtrade released its dual baiting system, Transcend, which combines new molluscicide and insecticide technology.
Imtrade CropScience's South Australian/Victorian sales manager and bait product manager John Barbetti said he could not be more pleased with the product.
“Metakill, our snail and slug bait, already had a strong customer base, so Transcend has offered additional value to existing customers whilst also opening up new markets for those just chasing other pests.”
Mr Barbetti said the dual bait controls snails, slugs and a range of insect pests, and is a testament to Imtrade’s research and development efforts to fill a gap in the bait market.
It was also a more comprehensive and cost-effective solution for growers – as heavy losses to emerging field and fruiting crops can be caused by arthropods like slaters, earwigs and millipedes – in addition to the more obvious slug and snail damage most often noticed by farmers.
The weather resistant Transcend bait also offers a vast improvement in the protection of beneficial insects over a boom or aerial-applied broad-spectrum insecticide.
“Transcend's registration now extends to a range of horticulture cropping situations – including use in grapevines – and has been widely adopted by growers broadly across Australia,” Mr Barbetti said.
“We’ve been in the bait market for 20 years, starting out with a bran-based, low-concentration metaldehyde formulation, but discovered over time that effective control required more baits per square metre, higher active concentration and better durability. Our research findings drove us to develop a solution for insect, snail and slug control in a single bait," he said.
"To maximise control, growers and agronomists need a quality bait, longevity in wet and dry conditions, high palatability to target pests and high efficacy. These combined attributes allow a single bait to deliver an effective lethal dose multiple times.”
Mr Barbetti said the bait dimensions and application rate are key to maximising likelihood of encounter, especially with snails and slugs, but also other pests.
Higher rates are required for more severe infestations to achieve the best control – which in the case of Transcend was even more effective by having a concentrated dose delivered in the pellet as well as activity against a wider range of pests.
“European earwigs, Portuguese millipedes and three different species of slaters are also associated with significant grapevine damage in many regions across Australia.
“Having the ability to incorporate the control of all these pests within the existing snail and slug control management plan in a single application has major economic savings for growers.”
Mr Barbetti said there was also the added benefit of contributing to on-farm carbon reductions and the ability to be incorporated into integrated pest management programs.
“Because Transcend has a higher bait count per kilogram of bait (100,000 baits/kg), we save on transport, handling, storage and usage costs. All of these are extra benefits for the reseller and end user.
“Essentially, we are handling more product gram-for-gram for a cheaper price, while reducing our carbon footprint.
“We’re extremely proud to deliver another market-leading product to Australian growers from a 100 per cent Australian owned company," Mr Barbetti said.
