South Carolina farmers will soon get some help from an old friend to help in their fight against insects and nematodes.
Aldicarb, a chemical many farmers relied on to help with control of early-season insect pests and nematodes, was banned by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) six years ago. Formerly sold under the trade name Temik, aldicarb was discontinued in 2010. It’s coming back as AgLogic 15G.
The farm chemical aldicarb is making a comeback as a valued pesticide used to control insect pests and nematodes in cotton. Registered under the trade name AgLogic 15G, this new product is expected to equal Temik. AgLogic 15G is making an initial run in Georgia this year. It is expected to be available in all cotton-producing states in 2017-2018.
AgLogic 15G is making its initial run in Georgia this season. It is expected to be released in other cotton-producing states in 2017 and 2018. Because it is a restricted-use product, AgLogic 15G will only be sold by qualified distributors and dealers.
Clemson Cooperative Extension Service experts said Temik was a highly valued part of many growers’ Insect Pest Management (IPM) programs. Jeremy Greene, entomologist at the Clemson Edisto Research and Educational Center, said the U.S. cotton crop has suffered with declining availability of the product that remains registered for use. The return of aldicarb will be welcomed by agricultural producers.
“Control of thrips and nematodes has been challenging since the availability of aldicarb, or Temik 15G, has diminished,” Greene said. “Temik 15G was on the market for about 40 years and was used on a significant number of cotton acres for control of thrips and nematodes. Aldicarb was very effective.”
Aldicarb is used to control insects, mites and nematodes on bananas, cotton, citrus, dry beans, grain sorghum, ornamentals, pecans, peanuts, potatoes, seed alfalfa, soybeans, sugar beets, sugarcane, sweet potatoes and tobacco. There is little to no Temik 15G available for purchase today.
Since Temik was essentially taken off the market when the registrant stopped production, cotton growers have been using neonicotinoid seed treatment active ingredients imidacloprid (Gaucho ST, also a part of Aeris ST) and thiamethoxam (Cruiser ST, also a part of Avicta Duo ST) for at-plant control of thrips in cotton. This approach has been an improvement in terms of convenience, but it has not been as effective as Temik in controlling thrips.
“Generally, in comparisons of efficacy with Temik and the seed treatments, Temik usually yielded more cotton,” Greene said. “So some yield loss has likely occurred overall. Much of this loss is likely due to the loss of suppressing nematodes. But Temik was generally regarded as the standard for controlling thrips. Nothing on the market provides the level of control and suppression of thrips and nematodes that Temik did.”
John Mueller, plant pathologist and director of the Edisto REC, affirmed cotton yields appear to have decreased as nematode populations appear to have increased.
“Growers have been using seed treatments such as the various formulations of Aeris, Avicta and Poncho/Votivo for nematode control,” Mueller said. “Beginning last year they also began using Velum Total. A small percentage of growers have continued to use Telone II, applying it using a prescription rate application map.”
Telone II actually provides better nematode control than Temik 15G. But the cost of Telone II is at least three times the cost that Temik 15G was, unless variable rate applications are used.
“Velum Total is relatively new so we have limited information on its performance,” Mueller said. “It appears to perform similarly to Temik 15G for nematodes, but the cost is slightly higher.”
Southern root-knot nematode was one pest cotton producers worried about when aldicarb was no longer available. In the last several years, major seed companies have released cotton varieties resistant to Southern root-knot nematodes that can compete yield-wise with the best susceptible lines in nematode-free areas of fields.
“Growers can utilize these cultivars to essentially lower pressure from Southern root-knot nematodes and use seed treatments and lower rates of soil-applied nematicides to provide control of other nematodes present,” Mueller said. “In fields with high levels of Columbia lance, sting or reniform nematodes, growers will need to use higher rates of soil-applied nematicides to limit yield losses. This is where AgLogic 15G will get a lot of consideration for use.”
AgLogic 15G is a product of Ag Logic Chemical LLC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Its performance is expected to be similar to Temik. It is registered for control of nematodes, thrips, aphids, mites, whiteflies and plant bugs, as well as other chewing and sucking pests, said Antoine Puech, president and chief executive officer of Ag Logic Chemical. It is labeled for use on cotton, peanuts, soybeans, sugarbeets, drybeans and sweet potatoes.
“It has become obvious over the past five years that the loss of Temik has created significant pest control challenges for many growers across a wide range of crops,” Puech said. “We have worked very hard to return aldicarb to the market, and our effort has been backed by strong industry support.”
Stephen Cole, director of regulatory and public services at Clemson, said growers interested in using AgLogic 15G must be certified as private applicators. Without this certification, growers cannot legally purchase the product from pesticide dealers. In addition to a Restricted Use Applicator license, anyone who intends to purchase, use or sell AgLogic 15G must complete an online Stewardship Certification Course administered by Ag Logic Chemical LLC.
“This product is classified as restricted by EPA and requires individuals to pass a certification/training program to become a licensed pesticide applicator for their respective state,” Cole said.