The new 4.5 kg pack size will treat 30 hectares at the label rate of 150 g per ha, which controls a wide range of damaging insect pests including diamond back moth and white butterfly caterpillars, European leaf miner and aphids – without harming beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and parasitoid wasps.
 
To help spray operators measure out the exact amount of Minecto Star, and to support good product stewardship, the company is also offering a free set of digital scales, which can be used to weigh any product up to 5 kilos to the nearest gram.
 
“The digital scales are really useful, because volumetric measures can be plus or minus 20% accurate when it comes to measuring granules,” says Syngenta marketing manager John Yates. “But you can use our digital scales to weigh any granular formulation with complete accuracy.”
 
Yates says use of IPM (integrated pest management) compatible insecticides such as Minecto Star has increased significantly over the past couple of seasons, replacing broad-spectrum organophosphate (OP) insecticides.
 
“Minecto Star is a combination of two IPM compatible insecticides (cyantraniliprole plus pymetrozine) in an easy-to-use granular formulation that doesn’t have the unpleasant smell associated with OP insecticides, which makes it more pleasant and safer for spray operators to handle and apply."
 
“Growers have seen the benefit of maintaining beneficial insects in forage brassica crops, working in synergy with Minecto Star to provide longer lasting control than OPs, and often fewer sprays per season, which can save time and money,” he says.
 
Another benefit of Minecto Star over organophosphates is the very low use rate, with only 150 grams of Minecto Star required per hectare, compared with up to 1.25 litres per hectare for an organophosphate such as chlorpyrifos.
 
“That means less product to carry around and less empty packaging to dispose of.”
 
The new 4.5 kg pack can be recycled through the Agrecovery programme.
 
For more information on Minecto Star and how to get hold of the free digital scales, phone Syngenta 0800 333 336, or talk to your local territory sales manager.