09/28/07 New control for potato wireworms

The US Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of the insecticide fipronil in potatoes. Thanks to four years of research by University of Idaho entomologist Juan Alvarez fipronil was more effective against wireworms than any other chemicals involved. He says the wireworms move up and own in the soil with temperature changes. ALVAREZ "All have labels for application pre-planting or at planting. By the time the insecticides are needed we no longer have them available in the soil." Alvarez worked with Tom Kuhar at Virginia Tech on control methods and put out the call to chemical companies. ALVAREZ "Give us everything that you think could be effective. So we had so many different chemistries that were not registered for wireworms and one of them was this insecticide." After four years of tests with fipronil which is sold by BASF as Regent Alvarez says it performed more effectively and consistently against wireworms than any other chemicals evaluated. Not only did it hold wireworm damage to the lowest percentage of affected tubers and the lowest number of holes per tuber, it did so without reducing the potatoes' size. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott