In the specific pedoclimatic conditions of South and South East of Romanian agricultural land, around one million Ha of maize and sunflower emerging crops are exposed every spring to this soil insect attack.
The insects are eating the young emerging plants and when the infestation is high, the crop can be totally damaged, obliging the farmers to reseed the crops. The standard protective method used by Romanian farmers in the past decade was the Seed Treatment (ST) with systemic insecticides from the Neonicotinoid (NNI) family (based on imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiametoxam as active substances).
The emerging plants contain some amount of insecticide from the treated seed and the hungry attacking insects are killed by ingestion. There are frequent situations when the insect attack overpasses the Economic Threshold Level.
In this case, additional treatments with foliar insecticides are compulsory, otherwise the crop being compromised. Following to EU Directive 485/2013, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides as ST products are banned. The Romanian farmers have lost the usual cheap and simply solution for many major crop protections. Under farmer association pressure, the Romanian authorities has succeeded to obtain EU commission derogation every year from 2014 to 2018 for the use of banned neonicotinoid ST insecticides in maize and sunflower crops.
SBM was present in Romania with BELEM 0.8MG/ PICADOR 0.8MG registered by mutual recognition for control of wireworms (Agriotes spp.) in different crops including maize and sunflower.
In this context SBM Company has started in Romania from 2014 systematic trials, using his performant micro granular insecticides, for developing a new method for preventive protection against Tanymecus insect in maize and sunflower crops. Based on experimental results on trials performed by GEP laboratory of Research-Development Institute for Plant Protection, the products BELEM 0.8MG/ PICADOR 0.8MG have been registered by National Registration Commission of PPP in 26.11.2017 (EU Zonal Authorization cf,art 33-39 Reg.1107/2009) for controlling Tanymecus dillaticolis on maize and sunflower in Romania. Basically, the method is consisting in two applications: first at seeding and the second one at the emergence of the crop, each one using specific devices.
First application at seeding (Fig.2):
The microgranules are disposed by a granulator mounted on seeding machine and applied in soil around seeds, using a special device Fishtail DXP (registered SBM Patent &Trade Name), at the rate of 12 Kg/Ha (96 g/Ha cypermethrin active ingredient). The seeds and the emerging plants are protected against soil pest until emergence (BBCH 00-09).
The second application on the soil surface at the emergence of the crop:
The microgranules are applied at the rate of 12 Kg/Ha also from a granulator mounted on the seeding machine or other equipment using a special device Fishtail DXP T, in bands of 15 cm wide, along the seeded rows, assuring an insecticide barrier for the emerging and growing young plants.
Due to special characteristics of the granules: density (around 1.4 g/cub cm), number: 3000 microgranules/g, stability: to light, temperature and water, the persistence and insecticide activity of the product on the soil is lasting more than two weeks after in- respectively on top- soil application.
In 2017 and 2018 campaigns SBM has performed experimental and demo trials in production farms in five South East counties, in the area known for the high degree of infestation with this pest.
The demo trials have been performed under supervision of GEP researchers and the validity of the method has been confirmed by results and by farmers involved. Under light and medium attack conditions (which is the general case met in practice) the efficacy of the SBM method was close to the method using neonicotinoid treated seeds.
Final comments
As result of consistent and serious studies, the EFSA specialists concluded that neonicotinoid class of insecticides is harmful for bees and other pollinators. Based on these studies EU Commission came to the decision to ban the use of this class of insecticides in all agricultural crops in EU starting 2019. The protection of bees and pollinators is considered vital for environment and life protection and the use of Neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural crops are statute as harmful and unacceptable.
The SBM technology applying cypermethrin based microgranules as insecticide barrier against attack of Tanymecus pest on young emerging plants is coming as a promising alternative crop protection method for Romanian farmers.
