Emamectin got emergency use permit to combat diamondback moth in Australia

The South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) has described as a fantastic result the granting of an emergency permit allowing Western Australian canola growers to use an alternative insecticide to combat diamondback moth (DBM).

The Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF), with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), has been permitted conditional emergency use of Affirm® insecticide, with the active ingredient emamectin, by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).

Parts of WA’s northern agricultural region and Esperance have been DBM ‘hotspots’ this year due to seasonal conditions, and other areas may also have high levels of DBM, especially if there was a ‘green bridge’ over summer and autumn with a lot of self-sown canola or radish present.

SEPWA president Lyndon Mickel welcomed the announcement of the emergency permit to control DBM.

"It is a fantastic result to have a new formulation of chemical available for use this season,” he said.

"We have seen high numbers of diamondback moth in the Esperance region this year, with numbers building up over the last couple of months.

"This emergency permit gives us a chance to hopefully control the pest and get numbers back to a reasonable level.”

Mr Mickel said that, due to resistance to existing synthetic pyrethroid treatments, DBM in the region had not been effectively controlled by other chemicals this year.

"The emergency permit gives us another tool to combat resistance in this pest,” he said.

Undergoing GRDC-funded trials, Affirm® is a product registered in the cotton and horticulture industry and is known to effectively control DBM.

The product is expected to play an important future role in integrated pest management in the canola industry.

The permit for use of Affirm® in WA canola crops – effective until October 31 – is subject to strict rules and conditions.

AOF executive director Nick Goddard said specific conditions were associated with the permit, including those relating to the withholding period, the supply of treated product and the need to maintain accurate records.

He specified that under the withholding period conditions, the term ‘harvest’ also referred to windrowing of the crop.

"The WA oilseed industry has a strong track record of complying with APVMA permit conditions, and I am confident that grower compliance will remain high for the specific requirements contained on the permit,” Mr Goddard said.

"The industry is grateful for the prompt attention to this matter by the APVMA, ensuring the permit can be granted in time for application of the chemical at a time when the crop is vulnerable and DBM numbers are increasing.”

Mr Goddard said DBM could be a major pest in canola and farmers had reported canola yield losses as high as 100 per cent in bad seasons.

In addition to WA, an emergency permit for the use of Affirm® has been granted for use on canola crops in South Australia’s Lower Eyre Peninsula.