Michigan’s apple producers will have two new tools at their disposal for the 2021 season. Earlier this month, Valent launched the Senstar Insecticide, and Excalia Fungicide.
According to Greg Clarke, senior field market development specialist, Senstar is a combination insecticide.
“It’s got two active ingredients growers have had for a while, but we’ve put them together in a top-notch formulation: spirotetramat, which is a liquid biosynthesis inhibitor, and Valent’s own pyriproxyfen, which is a juvenile hormone analog,” said Clarke.
Together, those chemistries are a great tool for soft-bodied insects.
“Woolly apple aphid, rosy apple aphid, San Jose scale—the combination of these two active ingredients give you some effect on all the different life stages of these insects, so it really helps control those pests,” said Clarke.
Excalia fungicide is an SDHI fungicide, so Clarke said it has very good systemic movement across the leaf’s surface.
“It’s got some excellent post-infection activity—it gives growers peace of mind when they’re in the middle of primary scab season when application conditions aren’t ideal,” he said. “This material inhibits both spore germination and mycelial growth.”
Both Senstar and Excalia can be applied no more than twice early in the season. The last application for Excalia should be made before petal fall and Senstar after petal fall. The two products are also part of Valent’s Bud to Box product portfolio. For more information, visit Valent.com.
