AgroPages-UK - Authorisation for bio-insecticide FLiPPER extends options for insect control-Agricultural news

The bio-insecticide FLiPPER has been granted four extensions of authorisation for minor use (EAMUs) for control of a broad range of insect pests.

It is authorised for use in an assortment of outdoor and protected fruits, herbs and field vegetables ahead of the 2020 season and was tested as part of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s SCEPTREplus programme, which is seeking new solutions for plant protection products.

The EAMUs mean FLiPPER can be applied to an array of field and leafy vegetables, fresh herbs, berries, currants, nuts, pome and stone fruit, and wine grapes. This will likely be welcomed by growers who have seen earlier means of control, for example, pirimicarb for the control of aphids in certain vegetable crops, withdrawn in recent years.

As well as helping to fill the gap created by withdrawals, it will go some way to ensuring crops remain suitably protected, once pymetrozine is withdrawn in January next year.

FLiPPER is also set to be approved for use in organic systems and will likely help in crops where use of pyrethrins will be lost in May 2020.

In SCEPTREplus trials, FLiPPER gave useful controls of peach potato aphid, significantly reduced damage by leek moth and reduced flower damage when used as a supplement to N. cucumeris for western flower thrip control in verbena. Results for the control of gall mite will be available in 2020.

Download the authorisations for FLiPPER:

• Leafy vegetables and fresh herbs

• Tree nuts, pome fruit, stone fruit and wine grapes

• Soft fruit

• Field vegetables

The product is marketed by Bayer.