Broad-spectrum insecticide Gazelle is now available to top-fruit producers for its first full season.

Its registration last year came only in time for late-season treatments.

The product is registered for the control of aphids and whitefly in apples, pears, cherries and plums, protected and outdoor ornamentals, protected tomatoes, aubergines and peppers.

The treatment, which contains acetamiprid - a systemic insecticide from a new generation of active ingredients in the neonicotinoid group - provides three-way activity that will also deliver incidental activity against a wide range of sucking insects and some Lepidoptera and Coleoptera species, according to Certis.

There is no reported cross-resistance with any other chemical groups.

Certis technical officer Alan Horgan said: “Strong contact activity that’s caused knockdown of some aphid species within just 20 minutes is matched by excellent control of pests hidden in the foliage.”

The systemic action means that the treatment is absorbed by the plant to target insects as they feed, he added.

Gazelle can be used throughout the cropping period without adversely affecting bees or other pollinating species and, with judicious use, the impact on beneficial insects can be minimised, according to Certis.

Horgan added: “Gazelle has shown particularly good efficacy against the rosy apple aphid, green apple aphid and other species. It is also active on the pear bedstraw aphid and it has also given incidental control of pear sucker, as well as pests such as mussel scale, which can be a reoccurring problem for some growers.”

He noted that the product performed well in cooler temperatures compared with other treatments.

Topics