Crop protection specialist Certis has launched a new product to control the infestation of slugs as fears mount over crop contamination and increased population numbers, as a result of climate change.
Certis’s new slug product, Sluxx, which contains three per cent ferric phosphate, has been approved for use on all edible and non-edible crops. Sluxx has demonstrated excellent efficacy in trials on a range of crops including potatoes, field vegetables and salads.
The formulation is patented and developed by Certis’ partner Neudorff GmbH, a German company that has the philosophy that its plant protection products should be based on ingredients that have a natural origin, have a low risk of residues and a minimal risk to beneficials (including earthworms and carabid beetles) and mammals.
Peter Boyne, technical manager of Certis UK, explains that Sluxx is formulated as a highly palatable conventional pellet bait. “The physiological effect gives immediate protection to crops because slugs stop feeding within one to two hours. They then may take two to three days to die and you are unlikely to find dead bodies on the surface or evidence of increased mucous production.”
Peter McDonald, country manager of Certis UK, told assembled journalists at a press briefing in Whitehall, London: “We are not saying we’re miles better than everyone else with this; we will not go papering the countryside with advertising, but this is a very good product to deal with a big problem in certain areas of the country.”
Certis remains committed to metaldehyde-based products, which have raised some concerns with regulatory bodies when it enters water, but Sluxx is set to be a main focus.
“We don’t assume this will be a niche product, it will be an absolutely mainstream product. This will be Certis’ biggest product in five years’ time,” said McDonald.
Sluxx has a recommended maximum individual dose rate of 7kg/ha, with a maximum total of 28kg/ha per season. At the 7kg/ha rate, the number of baiting points is approximately 66 per sqm, maximising the chances of slugs coming across a pellet.
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