CONTROLLING one of the widest pest spectrums while at the same time having low impact on major beneficial insects in cotton is continuing to underline the effectiveness of Skope^® insecticide for the industry’s growers.

 Skope, from ADAMA Australia, has been praised for targeting a wider spectrum of pests than any other registered insecticide. It controls bollworms, mirids, aphids, silverleaf white fly and green vegetable bug, proving its value in both conventional and GM crops in recent seasons.

 Skope contains 32.5 grams per litre of emamectin (Group 6) and 218g/L of acetamiprid (Group 4A), which, according to Jim O’Connor, Market Development Manager with ADAMA Australia for Queensland and the Northern Territory, provided an ideal rotation partner for insecticide programs.

 He said it helped to relieve selective pressure for resistance particularly with Groups 28 and 22A insecticides.

 “Certainly with helicoverpa, resistance is an issue we are aware of, with Groups 28 and 22A products developing some low levels of resistance in the field where they have been over-used. However, there has been no recorded field resistance to emamectin in helicoverpa armigeria (cotton bollworm) populations in Australia,’’ Jim said.

 “So it’s a viable option to rotate Groups 28 and 22A insecticides with Skope and also get the benefit of sucking pest control from the co-formulation.’’

 When pest thresholds are reached, Skope should be applied with an adjuvant selected according to the primary pest targeted. It offers translaminar activity, while limited systemic activity reinforces the need for thorough spray coverage.

 Higher pest pressure situations can be targeted with higher rates for faster knockdown and longer residual control.

 Skope was previously considered to be a threat to beneficial insects, however trials have since shown otherwise.

 Large-scale field trials at Griffith, Narromine and Bundaberg compared the impact of Skope on the main beneficial insects in cotton to that from other commonly used insecticides.

 The results showed Skope was among the insecticides with the least impact on beneficial insects.

 ADAMA Australia’s New South Wales Market Development Manager, Harry Pickering, said in some of the trials with lady beetles, as well as red and blue beetles, Skope applied at the highest rate (350mL/ha) showed only a slight effect on beetle numbers three days after the treatment.

 “However, at seven and then 14 days after the treatments, the beetle numbers recovered and sometimes exceeded the pre-treatment levels,’’ Harry said.

 In a large-scale evaluation near Griffith, spider numbers remained steady for five weeks following treatment before rising steadily through to eight weeks, when monitoring concluded.

 As a result, Skope has grown to be among ADAMA Australia’s key stable of products to the cotton industry, also now supported by its expanded, dedicated team.

 The company’s cotton product range has increased significantly over the past decade, weathering seasonal variability to maintain diverse solutions for managing weeds, diseases, insect pests, growth regulation and defoliation.

For further information on Skope insecticide and the range of ADAMA Australia products for the cotton industry, growers and advisers can contact their local ADAMA Australia representative or visit https://www.adama.com/australia/en/crop-protection/insecticides/skope