Australia: Corteva’s Applaud insecticide now registered to control Silverleaf whitefly

Applaud Insecticide from Corteva Agriscience™ is now registered for use in Australian cotton.

The APVMA approved the new use on Monday October 12, 2020 which allows the product to be used for control of Silverleaf whitefly, SLWF, and Solenopsis mealybug.

Applaud insecticide is anticipated to be the resistance management solution that growers have been looking for.

Silverleaf whitefly is a major pest in cotton. It can contaminate cotton lint with honeydew, has a large host range, can rapidly reproduce and can develop resistance to many insecticides.

Applaud, containing the active ingredient buprofezin, is an insect growth regulator belonging to IRAC Group 16.

Corteva Agriscience marketing manager Nick Koch is pleased to have the registration approved and said: "Applaud has no known resistance in cotton crops, this makes it an ideal rotation option for growers experiencing resistance issues with pyriproxyfen.

"It's advisable for these growers to rotate to an alternate mode of action such as Applaud to help reduce the selection pressure," Mr Koch said.

Mr Koch explains that Applaud is best positioned early in the control program because of its low overall ranking for its impact on beneficial insects.

"Because of its selectivity to beneficial insects it won't cause issues with secondary pests such as flaring mites.

"It also means that it is ideally suited for use in IPM systems, helping to preserve beneficials and keeping Silverleaf whitefly populations below economic thresholds throughout the season," he said.

The approved registration of Applaud insecticide is an example of Corteva's commitment to developing IPM compatible, sustainable products for the Australian cotton industry.