10/03/07 Potato growers getting new control for wily wireworms

Farm and Ranch October 3, 2007 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the use of the insecticide fipronil for use on potatoes which will give growers a new control for wireworm with a different mode of action. Alvarez: "The species we have here the most predominant, the sugar beet wireworm, is also present in the Pacific Northwest in most of the states, in Washington and Oregon." That's University of Idaho entomologist Juan Alvarez who says up to a third of individual fields in Idaho are affected by the wireworm which can lead to the rejection of potatoes by processors. Existing labeled products weren't effective later in the season when control was really needed. Alvarez says the call went out to chemical companies. Alvarez: "Give us everything that you think could be effective. So we got so many different chemistries that were not registered for wireworms and one of them was this insecticide, fipronil." After four years of tests with fipronil, which is sold by BASF as Regent and has been used on field corn, Alvarez says it performed more effectively and consistently against wireworms than any other chemicals evaluated. BASF technical service representative Jim Vandecoevering says he's probably been asked about this registration of Regent more than any other product they've had in the pipeline for 12 years. The product should be available in major potato growing areas for next season. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.