Argentina: FMC showcases insecticide Mustang 20 EW against ground caterpillars in sunflower

In Argentina, corn crops planted with five plants per meter lose, on average, one plant due to the action of soil insects, corresponding to a 20% loss in yield potential, a cost too high when compared to the investment required for preventive insecticide applications. 

To combat this problem, FMC showcased, in the Argentine market, the insecticide, Mustang 20 EW, which comprises the active ingredient, Zeta-cypermethrin.

Mustang 20 EW is a specialist technology for soil insect control, being the only product in that country's market registered for bugs. It is a pyrethroid insecticide indicated for controlling hemipterans and lepidopterans in the early stages of soybean, cotton, sunflower and corn crops. With an "innovative and exclusive" EW (Oil in Water Emulsion) formulation that reduces product retention in crop residue, it can reach pests that are under the crop cover.

Mustang 20 EW acts through contact and ingestion and is specially formulated for application during fallow periods, pre-sowing or with the established crop where water is the carrier. "It has extreme solubility, allowing it to penetrate crop residue and relentlessly target pests without leaving them standing," FMC said. 

According to the manufacturer, it is a "fundamental tool for preventing the significant negative impact of these insects on crops." The company's portfolio also includes Archer Plus, a next-generation microencapsulated pyrethroid that acts through contact and is registered for cutting lanes.

FMC stressed that the care and protection of crops are "of vital importance regarding the soil insect complex, which consists of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera larvae, as well as bugs like the horned bug, as they are highly detrimental to growth and development."

"Each plant can experience a considerable decrease in crop yield, both in quantity and quality," FMC said.

FMC Argentina has offices in Buenos Aires and leads activities in the Southern Cone region, which also includes Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)