AgroPages-Arysta Launches PIRATES® GR in Japan-Agricultural news

PIRATES®GR

Category：Biopesticide

Arysta LifeScience Japan recently has launched its latest microbial insecticide, PIRATES^® GR, to help control thrips, a problem pest in many crops including eggplant, cucumbers and green peppers.

The active ingredient in PIRATES GR, Metarhizium anisopliae, is a naturally grown fungus in soils throughout the world that causes disease and ultimately the death of a wide range of insects, including thrips. PIRATES GR represents the first pesticide registration of Metarhizium in Japan.

PIRATES GR is a granular formulation. It is applied by sprinkling the granules onto the surface of the soil. Metarhizium then infects the pupae of the thrips on the soil.

Additionally, grains of rice serve as carriers of PIRATES GR. The rice grains absorb moisture from the soil and serve as a nutrient source for Metarhizium growth. As a result the Metarhizium can survive and breed even if it does not immediately make contact with the larvae or pupae of thrips.

Field studies with PIRATES GR are underway for future label expansions to include additional insects and crops.