Met 52 EC Liquid biological resistance management for thrips, whiteflies, chinch bugs, and ticks Karen Bailey (presenter) Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon SK Jarrod E. Leland (co-author) Novozymes Biologicals Inc., Salem VA
2 Outline for Metarhizium anisopliae Strain 52 What is Metarhizium? Mode of action Met 52 formulated products Met 52 EC for greenhouse and turf Application & compatibility Product efficacy trials Summary of product benefits
What is Metarhizium? Metarhizium is a naturally-occurring, soil-inhabiting entomopathogenic fungus occurring worldwide Many species and strains within species that are uniquely adapted to surviving on a wide range of insect hosts in different environments M. anisopliae was first used as a microbial agent against insects in 1879 --- to control the wheat grain beetle M. anisopliae IMI 330189 developed as Green Muscle to control locust in Africa (CABI, 1989-2002; Becker Underwood 2010; BASF 2012) M. anisopliae strain 52 developed as Met 52 to control broad spectrum of insect pests in greenhouses, nurseries, and turf (Novozymes Biologicals 2006)
4 Bio-insecticide: Met 52 Met 52 is a contact bio-insecticide that is capable of controlling several insect pests. Spores germinate on the insect surface, hyphae invade, killing susceptible insects ( i.e. Met 52 on black vine beetle, right).
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6 Metarhizium prefers warm temperatures Data taken from Moorhouse et al. 1994. Ann. Applied Biology 124: 185-193
7 Two products available in Canada Met 52 Granular Outdoor and greenhouse use Mix into moist growing media for container grown crops and outdoor nurseries Commercial use Black vine weevil; strawberry root weevil Met 52 EC Outdoor turf and greenhouse use Spray onto foliage for insects to contact fungus Commercial use Whiteflies and thrips reduction in greenhouse crops Hairy cinch bug and tick suppression in turf
Met 52 EC application & compatibility
9 Crops and application rates of Met 52 EC in Canada Crop Pest Application Rate Greenhouse Tomatoes Whiteflies Foliar 0.5 5L/1000L Greenhouse Pepper, Strawberry, Zucchini Thrips Foliar 0.5 5L/1000L Outside Turf Hairy chinch bug Foliar 64-96 ml/100m 2 Outside Turf Ticks Foliar 137-155 ml/100m 2 Application number and rates dependent on: 1) Pest population presence and density- requires monitoring 2) Pest growth stage larval and nymphs more susceptible 3) Environmental conditions moisture, temperature
10 Foliar fungicide compatibility Compatible FLUOPICOLIDE TEBUCONAZOLE IPRODIONE MEFENOXAM DIFENOCONAZOLE MYCLOBUTANIL CYPRODINIL PROTHIOCONAZOLE FENHEXAMID FLUAZINAM FOSETYL-AL DIMETHOMORPH COPPER SULFATE SULFUR FLUOXASTROBIN CYMONAXYNL TRIFLOXYSTROBIN Compatibility Concerns Chlorothalonil Azoxystrobin Boscalid, Thiram Mancozeb Captan
11 Beneficial insect compatibility Pests Beneficial Beneficial Spp. Thrips, whitefly Predatory Mite Amblyseius spp. Mites, whitefly Predatory bug Macrolophus caliginosus Generalist Predatory bug Nesidiocoris tenuis Thrips Predatory bug Orius spp. Generalist Lacewing Chrysopa sp. Thrips (soil), fungus gnats Rove beetle Atheta coriaria Thrips (soil), fungus gnats Predatory Mite Hypoaspis miles Flies Parasitic Wasp Nasonia vitipennis honeybees earthworms
Greenhouse Application Whitefly & Thrip Efficacy
% Control (Ave +/- Std Dev) 13 Whiteflies 2008-2011 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 Met52 Rx 20 10 0 GH Cucumber (N=6) GH Melon (N=3) GH Tomato (N=8) GH Ornamentals (N=7) Field Tomato (N=10)
% Control (Ave +/- Std Dev) 14 Thrips 2008-2011 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 Met52 Rx 20 10 0 Crucifers (N=6) Peppers (N=6) Strawberry (N=4) Ornamentals (N=6)
% Control (Ave +/- stderr) Met 52 in IPM Average of 6 Thrip, 3 WF, 3 Mite Trials 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 Rx Met Met-AB / RX-CD Met-AC / RX-BD 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Chinchbug and Tick Efficacy
% Control 17 100 Hairy Chinchbug (Blissus leucopterus hurtus) Field Trials in Turf a a a a a 90 80 70 60 a 50 40 Met52EC Talstar PL 30 20 10 0 8DAT 15DAT 30DAT
% Control 18 100 90 80 Hairy Chinchbug (Blissus leucopterus hurtus) Field Trials in Turf b b ab 70 a 60 50 a a a a 13DAT 40 27DAT 30 20 10 0 Met52EC- 1 oz/1000ft2 Met52EC- 2 oz/1000ft2 Talstar Acelepryn
% Control or Mycosis 19 Control of Blacklegged Ticks with Met 52 EC CT Field Trials on 20 Residential Lawns 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 % Control After 2nd Application (Reduction in Numbers of Collected Nymphs) % Mycosis of Collected Nymphs After 2nd Application Bharadwaj and Stafford. 2010. J. Med. Entomol. 47 (3): 862-867
Average Ticks per Drag 20 Control of Black Legged Ticks with Met 52 EC in a field trial 80 70 60 50 40 Single Application at 1X Control-Nymph Met 52 EC-Nymph Control-Larvae Met 52 EC-Larvae 30 20 10 0 0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 Days Post Treatment
21 Integration of M. anisopliae into Tick IPM Stafford (2004) Tick Control Handbook. CT. Ag. Expt. Station Publication
Met 52 EC applied like a chemical acaricide Must be applied to grassy areas and control spray drift to not contaminate nearby bodies of water. Still need to demonstrate homeowner friendly application method such as a hose end applicator. Presently for commercial use only.
23 General directions for Met 52 EC Hold product at 4C until use; has 9 month shelf life Apply as you would a foliar chemical insecticide. Contains an emulsified oil carrier and mixes readily with water Coverage is critical to maximize contact with pest, so use maximum water volumes to help coverage. Application through drip irrigation is still experimental & not recommended at this time. To improve product dispersion in spray tank and coverage on foliage: Vigorously shake product for 30-45 seconds before adding to half full spray agitating tank. A silicone based spreader adjuvant enhances Met EC dispersion, but this is not yet approved for Canada Spray out tank within 6 hours. Do not hold overnight Do not use a screen finer than 50 mesh
24 Application timing considerations Apply in the early stages of population development Repeat at 5-10 day intervals Pre-harvest interval is zero hours Restricted Entry Interval (REI) is zero hours Do not re-enter or allow re-entry into treated areas until the spray is dried unless wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) because the spray mist maybe a potential sensitizer Approved PPE: long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shoes plus socks, and waterproof gloves. In addition, a dust-mist filtering respirator/mask (MSHA/NIOSH approval number prefix TC-21C) or a NIOSH approved respirator/mask with any N-95, R-95, P- 95 or HE filter is required until spray mist has settled.
25 Guidelines for success The active is a living spore, so avoid extreme temperatures in storage and usage Not a rapid knockdown mode of action, expect several days to kill the insects Insect migration may impact evaluations - use large plots to minimize the impact of migration Use in an IPM program rather than as a rescue treatment Good alternative to integrate with beneficial insects Utilize within insect resistance management programs Works only by spores contacting the insect - no systemic or translaminar activity coverage is critical.
26 Other Recommendations As a precaution, run a small phyto test on crops before treating larger area because not all cultivars/crops have been tested Do not tank mix with other agrochemicals, especially fungicides. We have tested 26 foliar fungicides; 18 of these were compatible and 7 have not been compatible. When selecting fungicides in an IPM program maximize the timing between Met 52 EC application and fungicide application. Ongoing testing is expanding list of beneficial insect compatibility currently testing Encarsia formosa, Eretmocerus eremicus, and Phytoseiulus persimilis Also collecting data on other insect pests to expand host range
Benefits of Met 52 EC No known resistance, valuable tool for insecticide resistance management and IPM programs Compatible with IPM programs using beneficial insects Few actives registered against ticks on turf Comparable efficacy to chemical insecticides Designed for application with standard equipment Exempt from Min. Residue Level (MRL) tolerance 0 hour re-entry interval; 0 hour post harvest interval
28 Contacts for Questions Karen Bailey Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK Email: Karen.Bailey@agr.gc.ca Jarrod Leland Novozymes Biologicals Inc., Salem VA Email: jrrl@novozymes.com