Canada to ok bioinsecticide Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52

The Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is granting full registration for the sale and use of Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 and Met52 EC bioinsecticide, containing the technical grade active ingredient Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52, to reduce the numbers of whiteflies and thrips on greenhouse food crops and suppress hairy chinch bugs and ticks on turf.

Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 is a soil-dwelling fungus that infects insects and ticks and can result in death. Formulated as Met52 EC Bioinsecticide and applied as a foliar spray it reduces whitefly numbers on greenhouse tomato, reduces thrip numbers on greenhouse pepper, greenhouse strawberry and greenhouse zucchini, and suppresses hairy chinch bugs and ticks on turf. A granular formulation of Metarhizium anisopliae strain F52 (Met52 Granular Bioinsecticide) is currently registered for the control of black vine weevil and strawberry root weevil when applied in the growth media of container grown ornamentals. Both end-use products are Commercial Class.

The PMRA has opened the public comments until Nov 29, 2013.