Simodis insecticide (Group 30) from Syngenta with Plinazolin technology marks the next evolution in insecticide technology for protecting plant health.
“Plinazolin technology is an innovation from Syngenta and is a novel mode of action that offers reliable, robust and extended efficacy against hard-to-control pests in our key horticultural crops,” says Syngenta technical services lead, Dr Shaun Hood.
“We’re anticipating registration of Simodis insecticide before the end of this year.”
Dr Hood said Simodis insecticide will help growers tackle resistant and traditionally hard-to-control pests, with the registration including diamondback moth, two-spotted mite and western flower thrips.
Figure 1. Mean number of diamondback moth larvae and pupae per cauliflower plant
following a single insecticide application when the harvestable cauliflower
was at 60% head diameter (BBCH 46), numbers were assessed 7 days after application (DAA).
Gatton, Queensland (2018). Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different.
“We’ve put Simodis through its paces using commercial application equipment on a range of crops across Australia,” Dr Hood said. “What impresses people is both its level of control and its residual activity.”
“Around Australia diamondback moth (DBM) has become increasingly difficult to manage, with resistance reducing the efficacy of some well-known chemistries,” Dr Hood said.
In Gatton, Queensland in 2018, Simodis insecticide (plus Agral spray adjuvant) was compared to industry standards for the control of diamondback moth 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).
Dr Hood said 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 was the only treatment that continued to control the DBM population at 20 DAA.
“This is a product that is going to redefine DBM control, it’s a highly efficacious insecticide but it’s also going to enable brassica growers to regain control of resistant populations.”
Dr Hood said monitoring is the key to effective DBM management. “Apply Simodis insecticide as soon as the local thresholds are reached, either at egg hatch or very soon after egg hatch to target young larvae.
“Growers should avoid applying Simodis to established populations dominated by large, later instar DBM larvae.”
In Bowen, Queensland in 2019 Simodis insecticide (plus Agral spray adjuvant) was applied on a cucumber crop 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).
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 afterapplication (DAA).
Bowen, Queensland (2019). Means followed by the same letter at the same assessment are not significantly different.
Dr Hood said 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.
“Simodis insecticide is an exceptional miticide. With mites, monitoring is key to effective management. For best results apply Simodis insecticide as soon as local thresholds are reached, targeting the mite population before it becomes established.
“Up to two applications of Simodis insecticide per crop will be permitted, but to manage resistance, growers will need to rotate to a miticide from a different mode of action group before applying a second Simodis insecticide application.
“These trials are a snapshot of what we’ve observed at numerous trial sites across Australia. Simodis insecticide has consistently delivered reliable and robust efficacy and exceptional crop safety against a range of pests and in a range of crops.”
Dr Hood said Simodis insecticide has excellent sunlight stability and rain-resistant properties, allowing for long spray intervals.
Syngenta will be showcasing Simodis insecticide in the field at the Syngenta GrowMore event, Gatton in November 2022.
