An efficacious insect protection and control programme is vital for threats including white butterfly, diamondback moths, aphids, and fall armyworm.
But David Lingan, UPL NZ’s adjuvant product manager says that’s only part of the solution.
“To get the most out of an insecticide, it has to be on target and available to the pest. And when it comes to dense crops, like forage brassicas, or getting spray to stay, cover, and spread on waxy foliage, that’s a challenge in itself.”
To maximise the results from insecticide applications, Lingan recommends using the super spreader Du-Wett for optimal crop coverage.
“It saves time, reduces waste and, critically, there’s going to be a better outcome.
“Insects, by their nature, are all over the place, so effective control relies very heavily on actual contact or ingestion. The active in the spray needs to be present on the plant surface to maximise insect control. Du-Wett maximises spread and coverage of the plant.”
Lingan says in these cost-conscious times ,products without an active (adjuvants) such as Du-Wett can be a hard sell.
“What people need to understand is that it will more than pay for itself.
“It means sprays can deliver to their full potential without the waste you’d otherwise have. Contractors, themselves, have said they can see the difference.”
He says, particularly with helicopter and any application where low water volume is important, Du-Wett provides significant savings in time and fuel.
“With Du-Wett you cover a greater area faster, with a much-reduced water volume and still get better protection for the crop.
“Water use is a hot topic now, whereas not too long ago, the volume of water in spray programmes wasn’t a big deal.
“With rising fuel, labour and spray costs, and shifts in attitudes towards the use of water itself, that’s changing. In addition, there’s the simple science. Water’s high surface tension doesn’t give the spread or coverage needed for the optimal insecticide performance.”
Du-Wett reduces the surface tension of spray droplets. One spray droplet containing Du-Wett can provide up to 20 times the spread of active compared to an insecticide applied without an adjuvant and at least six to eight times compared to a conventional, non-ionic adjuvant.
Du-Wett is also compatible with major insecticides including Sparta, Exirel and Aphidex.
Lingan recommends using Du-Wett at 200ml per ha for most insecticides, except for Attack (300 ml per ha) and chlorpyrifos (250 ml per ha).
Water volumes are 50-250 litres per ha for ground applications and 50-100 litres per ha for aerial applications.
Optimum spreading and wetting from Du-Wett will occur between pH 5 and pH 9.