In 2017 destructive pests like western bean cutworm continued to pose threats to growers, damaging corn fields across the Corn Belt and leaving crops susceptible to contamination from molds and mycotoxins like aflatoxin or fumonisins. Luckily for growers using the Agrisure traits portfolio from Syngenta, they had strong control over the pests.
“The Agrisure traits portfolio has offered much needed relief to a wide array of growers throughout 2017,” said Dr. Tim O’Brien, commercial traits product lead for Syngenta. “We’ve received reports from multiple geographies on the performance of Agrisure trait stacks in the field. In particular, trait stacks containing the Agrisure Viptera trait have performed very well in areas impacted by insects like western bean cutworm.”
As growers prepare for 2018 planting, it will be important to assess and prepare for potential insect outbreaks and damage. A hybrid with the right insect control trait stack can provide immediate protection against insects to help mitigate damage before it can occur.
“Scouting for insect pests can be time consuming and finding a comprehensive crop consultant can be difficult in some geographies,” said O’Brien. “Traditional insecticide applications for insect control are costly, unplanned expenses and can be difficult to time properly for effective control. In the face of unpredictable and difficult-to-scout insect pressures, planting a hybrid with comprehensive insect control traits can help growers rest assured their yield is protected.”
To help growers manage pests, the Agrisure traits portfolio offers industry-leading above- and below-ground insect control via trait stacks like Agrisure Duracade 5222 E-Z Refuge, reducing the need for costly insecticide applications and resulting in better grain quality and the ability for crops to live up to their full genetic yield potential.
Agrisure Duracade 5222 E-Z Refuge is the ultimate trait stack for growers looking to control insects with simplicity and choice. Agrisure Duracade 5222 E-Z Refuge features both the Agrisure Duracade and Agrisure Viptera traits, offering premium broad-spectrum insect control of 16 damaging insects to help preserve genetic yield potential, with a simple in-bag E-Z refuge seed blend.
The Agrisure Viptera trait offers market-leading above-ground insect control and is the only trait available today that effectively controls western bean cutworm. Currently, no other trait in the industry provides better or more comprehensive insect control. For geographies where control of above-ground pests are needed, Agrisure Viptera 3220 E-Z Refuge provides multiple modes of action to control plant-and ear-feeding insects. Preventing injury to developing corn kernels can also reduce the incidence of ear molds and the possible development of mycotoxins like aflatoxin or fumonisins.
Additionally, for growers seeking the latest insect control traits and a water optimized hybrid, Agrisure trait stacks are available in combination with Agrisure Artesian technology as indicated by the letter ‘A’ on the end of the trait stack name. Artesian hybrids maximize yield when it rains and increase yield when it doesn’t, offering growers a line of defense against changing in-season moisture conditions.
