Syngenta received label expansion registration for insecticide Fulfill

Syngenta Crop Protection said Monday it has picked up registration for use of its pymetrozine (Group 9B) insecticide Fulfill 50WG as a foliar spray against aphids in leafy crops such as spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, celery and arugula.

The expanded label also includes control of blueberry aphid and "other known aphid vectors of blueberry scorch virus" in ground application in highbush blueberry crops.

Blueberry scorch virus in recent years has caused up to 80 per cent yield loss in certain blueberry varieties and has become a widespread disease across British Columbia, Syngenta noted in a release.

Also, in leafy vegetables, aphids can transmit viruses that cause stunting, leaf curling, yellowing and sunken lesions, resulting in "marketable yield losses," the company's Guelph-based Canadian arm said.

Applied on both berries and greens at a rate of 193 grams per hectare, Fulfill's "translaminar and systemic activity" offers residual control of aphids for up to two weeks, the company said.

The product also fits well into an integrated pest management (IPM) system, the company added, noting producers have often had to rely on broad-spectrum insecticides to prevent aphid infestations.

Fulfill's "specialized chemistry... minimizes the impact on non-target beneficial insects and pollinators," Syngenta said.

The product's previous label covered its ground and aerial use against potato aphid, green peach aphid, foxglove aphid and buckthorn aphid in potato crops, at the same 193 g/ha rate.