“We have seen a significant lift in Ampligo sales, with  Nysius, cutworm and leafminer being a problem in many spring sown forage crops, while diamondback moth and aphids arrived earlier than usual in the South Island,” says the company’s marketing manager John Yates.

According to Syngenta, farmers and spray contractors are increasingly moving away from organophosphate insecticides for health and safety reasons and switching to Ampligo which is broad spectrum, more pleasant to apply and longer lasting.

“Ampligo kills all main insect pests of forage brassicas with a low use rate of just 100 ml per ha. Available in 1 L and 5L containers, that’s 10 or 50 hectares per pack, with less bulk to handle and fewer empty containers to dispose of.”

Another key benefit of Ampligo is the crop safety of the SC formulation when mixed with herbicides. “Ampligo is being mixed with a wide range of herbicides without any issues to date, where some EC insecticides would probably have caused issues,” says Yates.

Syngenta is reminding customers of the lessons learnt from the 2012/13 season, which was another high insect pressure year:

• Spray early at the first sign of insects.

• Have enough stock on hand to avoid delays.

• Use sufficient water rates for good coverage (300-400 L per ha).

• Always add a non-ionic wetting agent to improve coverage.

• Add Pirimor (or Dovetail) to Ampligo if aphid pressure is high (especially in dense crops).

For more detail phone 0800 333 336.