“It costs just as much to grow a poor yielding crop as it does to grow a good one; the only difference is in the final price per kg DM grown,” points out Paul Addison, technical specialist for Nufarm.
 

Nysius is a particular trap but aphids, leaf miner, springtails and the caterpillars of diamondback moth and white butterfly are all

capable of eating into crop yields.
 

However, Attack has the benefit of controlling all six of these pests, meaning farmers only need one insecticide throughout the season instead of having to buy different products.
 

“On yield response alone, timely insecticide treatment for forage brassicas makes good financial sense. Combine that with the critical importance of some crops in particular, namely those which are relied upon for winter feed, and it’s counter-productive to ignore the risk posed by insects.”
 

Addison says it’s not unusual for crops to get wiped out in early establishment by pests.

“The key to avoiding this sort of situation is to have a plan in place well before insect pests start to make their presence felt, so

your farmers know exactly what to do and when.”
 

Monitoring is essential – crops need to be inspected every one to two days for the first three to four weeks after sowing.
 

Four Nufarm trials comparing the DM response of turnips to repeat applications of Attack, compared with herbicide-only treatments, showed just what a difference pests can make to the outcome of a crop.
 

“The yield benefit of one Attack application (0.5L per ha) tank mixed with herbicides was an extra 535 kg DM per ha. The tank mix plus one further Attack application of 1 litre per ha three to four weeks later resulted in a yield gain of 1226 kg at an average cost of 8c per kg DM.
 

“Adding a third Attack treatment resulted in a yield gain of 2367 kg DM per ha more than brassicas treated with herbicide alone, for a cost of just 7c kg DM per ha. That’s not a lot of money for quality feed at that time of the year.”
 

Attack contains two active ingredients (permethrin and pirimiphos-methyl) in an EC formulation.
 

Pack sizes are 1L, 5L, 20L and 200L.

For more detail, talk to your local Nufarm territory manager.