SIMODIS insecticide is a new insecticide from Syngenta, exceeding industry expectations from north to south, and east to west, in under two years from launch.
While it has a novel mode of action (Group 30) to manage a range of insecticide resistant pests in fruiting vegetable, cucurbit, bulb and brassica crops, SIMODIS insecticide also provides excellent flexibility in application timing, while having excellent sunlight stability and rain-resistant qualities.
All of these aspects have made it highly desirable among users who have had some spectacular results.
Agronomist Des May, from Delta Ag, says he received a phone call from a Carnarvon grower about a month after their capsicum crop was planted.
“We went and had a look and the damage was significant. It had affected 80 to 90 per cent of the planted crop.”
There was a spectrum of pests identified, including western flower thrips.
SIMODIS insecticide, from Syngenta, had recently been released targeting mites, thrips and heliothis and so Mr May thought it might be a good option in this very challenging situation.
“We introduced SIMODIS and had two sprays back-to-back, eight or nine days apart and it virtually took out 95 per cent of the pest,” he says.
“We’ve never seen a result like this before with anything we’ve ever played with, so that was fantastic.”
“They just tear the growing tips apart. It looks like they've been hit by herbicide or a virus. After we put the two lots of SIMODIS on, the capsicums regenerated, and they were back into action, which is fantastic.”
The damage to the crop had been of great concern to the grower and had caused quite a bit of anxiety.
“ They were at their wits end, to be honest,” Mr May says. “They tried a couple of things, but they were unsuccessful. When you spray stuff that doesn't work, it gets very expensive so they were open for any input we could give. It was a great result with SIMODIS and they were very, very happy.”
Further south, in Manjimup, Muirs agronomist Ryan Bradshaw, says diamondback moth (DBM) was a constant threat throughout the summer in the region’s broccoli, cabbages and cauliflower crops.
“Once we start cutting hay the DBM pressure goes right up. We get halfway through the first planting and then you’re on.
Last season there was continuous pressure from DBM and a wide range of chemistries were used in an attempt to control the pest.
“We used our normal chemistry up very quickly and started to get less and less of a result,” Mr Bradshaw says.
“I saw SIMODIS, from Syngenta, had a registration come through on brassicas so I thought I might have a look at it and see how it goes.
“We put in SIMODIS and the results were instant. I came back three days later and couldn’t find anything moving. It was a good result.”
A major benefit of SIMODOS is its classification as a Group 30 insecticide, which can be used as an alternative to the suite of other chemical groups currently being used in vegetables.
“A lot of the other products are aging and there seems to be a lot of resistance everywhere,” Mr Bradshaw says.
“Trying to find, and use, the right products at the right stage, is really tricky. That’s why SIMODIS was really good. We can place it at any point and have really good results.
“Last year it was my go-to.”
He says other chemistries, such as the Group 28s, were a vital part of growing vegetables and should be protected.
“If we can delay resistance in these [Group 28s] by introducing products such as SIMODIS into the rotation it is going to work in everybody’s favour.
“A new group is always well received by both myself as an agronomist and my growers. It is very important - new groups really make the difference.
Going forward, SIMODIS will play a critical role in controlling DBM and rotating chemistry to extend the life of other groups.
“I will use SIMODIS as a break for the other chemistries and I see a fit for it in the middle and towards the end of the program,” Mr Bradshaw says. “It really cleans up and we don’t see any problems at harvest. You’re not finding DBM alive in in broccoli, cabbages, or cauliflower - it's just not there.”
The lack of pests in the produce at harvest also provides advantages by reducing the labour needed to prepare the vegetables for market.
Mr Bradshaw used cabbages as an example of this benefit.
“If we can keep it clean coming in towards the end, we don’t need to spend time peeling leaves off the outside of the heads because the residual control of SIMODIS has kept on top of it the whole way through.”
