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New Pesticide Available for Use Against Spotted Wing Drosophila in Blackberries and Raspberries for 2019

By Hannah Burrack
 
Exirel Insecticide (FMC Corporation) has recently received an expanded federal label which includes use in caneberries against spotted wing drosophila (SWD). While we are still waiting on the state label for Exirel in caneberries in North Carolina, we expect it be available for use during the 2019 growing season.
 
This new label expands the effective modes of action (MOA) available for use to manage spotted wing drosophila in caneberries. Exirel is a Group 28 MOA, and the other materials effective against SWD in caneberries include pyrethroids (Group 3), organophosphates (Group 1A), and spinosyns (Group 5). Importantly, Exirel has a 1 day preharvest interval (PHI), which allows for its use when caneberries are at the greatest risk of damage from SWD.
 
A maximum of 30.8 fl oz Exirel can be applied per acre, which equates to either two applications at the lower label rate (13.5 fl oz per acre) or one application at the highest label rate (20.5 fl oz per acre).
 
Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated that Exirel (tested as HGW86 10SE) can provide a similar reduction in fruit infestation in blackberries to other registered materials. We have also demonstrated that Exirel is an effective component of a season-long pesticide rotation program in blueberries. Developing research using SWD population models suggests that using pesticides that are more toxic to eggs and larvae, which Exirel may be, earlier in the spray program could provide longer term benefit.
 

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Canadians have continued to move further and further away from food production. We can see this in our expanding urban centers and less individuals growing the food we consume. This has led to more discussions about consuming food that is more sustainable. Not only sustainable environmentally, but also economically and socially. The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan, was tasked in 2022 with understanding agriculture’s contributions to improved sustainable outcomes. As a part of this, GIFS has examined the carbon footprint of agricultural production in Saskatchewan and Canada and compared that to other producers across the globe. Dr. Steven Webb, who is the CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security in Saskatoon SK walks through how we’re doing growing cereals, pulses and oilseeds based on the latest research.