Portugal grants emergency authorization for Teppeki insecticide to control Trioza erytreae

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

The Portuguese DGAV (General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine) has granted an emergency authorization to the insecticide Teppeki, produced by Belchim Crop Protection, for the control of Trioza erytreae, known as the African citrus psyllid.

According to the government agency, the objective is to expand the measures of phytosanitary protection aimed at preventing the introduction and dispersion in the national territory of organisms that cause greening (huanglongbing, HLB), the worst disease for citrus.

The Trioza erytreae insect is a vector of the Candidatus liberibacter spp. bacterium, and is quarantined in Portugal. The insect is already present in significant parts of the country such as the coast to the north, and Greater Lisbon region that already includes the Setúbal Peninsula.

Teppeki is a systemic insecticide that acts by contact and ingestion on mobile forms of aphids. It is a product based on flonicamide, which, once ingested or absorbed, causes the insect to immediately cease feeding, dying 3 to 5 days after application.

Teppeki quickly penetrates the plant, has an ascending system, and has translaminar activity, which contributes to its excellent efficacy and persistence of action. Unlike most insecticides, it has no toxicological classification for humans and the environment.

Teppeki is one of the only aphids, according to the International Organization for Biological Control (OILB) that is innocuous or low toxic to most auxiliary insects.

Teppeki’s pollinator profile is distinct from any insecticide, and makes it one of the only insecticides that is non-toxic to bees and pollinators.

“Teppeki has a mode of action (belongs to IRAC group 29) that is distinct from all other insecticides on the market, which makes the product a fundamental instrument for a rational strategy to prevent the appearance of resistance,” the company said.