MSU Extension

Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.     

There are many new pesticide pre-mixes, both insecticides and fungicides, on the market this season. These products offer growers convenience with this multi-pack combination, but they also come with some complexities. Many of these pre-mix products are combinations of active ingredients that growers are already using in their orchards rather than distinctly new active ingredients. Therefore, growers need to keep in mind two criteria when using these products: 1) know the amount of each active ingredient in the blend to be able to properly manage for insect and disease control as well as to minimize resistance issues, and 2) be aware of the total amount of active ingredient allowed per season, whether they are used in a pre-mix or alone.

In the first instance, growers should know the recommended rate to control a particular insect of disease and will need to make sure the rate of the pre-mix will provide an adequate amount of each active ingredient (AI) for a particular application. Secondly, the pre-mixes may be a blend of chemical classes growers are already using, and as usual, pesticide rotation is critical to minimize pesticide resistance. For the total amounts per season, growers should make sure they know the active ingredients and use the total AI per season rather than totals by product name. For example, Voliam flexi is a combination of chlorantraniliprole (same AI as Altacor) and thiamethoxam (same AI as Actara), and in stone fruit, the total amount of product for Actara (thiamethoxam) is 11oz. If a grower makes two full applications of Actara (thiamethoxam) for plum curculio at the high rate, 5.5oz, then he/she cannot apply Voliam flexi during that season or the total amount of Actara (thiamethoxam) will be over the allotted AI per season. Therefore, growers need to look at the active ingredients and amounts in the pre-mixes, particularly if he/she has applied one of the active ingredients in a prior spray. We have tried to summarize these pre-mixes for insecticides, their active ingredients, and the total amount of product allotted per season in the tables below.

Table 1. Pome fruit uses

* Rate ranges for key direct pests.
** Centuar rate for pears is 46 oz/acre (2 lb AI)

Examples of in-season applications that meet total AI limits for pome fruits.

Voliam flexi

• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (5 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 applications of Altacor 35WG at the 3 oz/acre rate.
• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (5 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 or more applications of Actara 25WDG up to an additional 12.5 oz/acre.

Leverage

• Growers can make 1 application of Leverage or 1 application of either Baythroid 2E or Baythroid XL per season.
• If growers make 1 application of Leverage (5.1 oz/acre), then they can still make 4 applications of Provado 1.6F at a 8 oz/acre rate.

Tourismo

• Growers can make 1 application of Tourismo 3.5F or 1 application of Centuar per season.
• If growers make 1 application of Tourismo 3.5F (15 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 applications of Belt 4SC at a 5 oz/acre rate

Table 2. Stone fruit uses

* Rate ranges for key direct pests.
** Centuar labeled for peaches only.

Examples of in-season applications that meet total AI limits for stone fruits.

Voliam flexi

• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (5 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 applications of Altacor 35WG at a 3 oz/acre rate.
• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (5 oz/acre), then they can still make 1 or more applications of Actara 25WDG up to an additional 7.0oz/acre per season.

Leverage

• If growers make 1 application of Leverage 2.7F, then they can still make 1 application of either Baythroid 2E or Baythroid XL.
• If growers make 1 application of Leverage 2.7F (5.1 oz/acre rate), then they can still make 2 applications of Provado 1.6F at a 8 oz/acre rate.

Tourismo

• If growers make 1 application of Tourismo, then they can still make 1 application of Centuar.
• If growers make 1 application of Tourismo 3.5F (14 oz/acre rate), then they can still make 2 applications of Belt 4SC at a 3 oz/acre rate.

Table 3. Grape uses

Examples of in-season applications that meet total AI limits for grapes.

Voliam flexi

• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (4.5 oz/acre), then they can still make 1 or more applications of Altacor 35WG up to an additional 4.5 oz/acre.
• If growers make 1 application of Voliam flexi 40WDG (4.5 oz/acre), then they can still make 1 or more applications of Actara 25WDG up to an additional 3.5 oz/acre.

Leverage

• Growers can make 1 application of Leverage 2.7F (5.0 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 or more applications of either Baythroid 2E or Baythroid XL, up to an additional 10.2 oz/acre.
• If growers make 1 application of Leverage 2.7F (5.0 oz/acre), then they can still make 1 application of Provado 1.6F at a 3 oz/acre.

Tourismo

•  If growers make 1 application of Tourismo 3.5F (14 oz/acre), then they can still make 2 applications of Belt 4SC at a 4 oz/acre.

Dr. Wise's work is funded in part by MSU's AgBioResearch.