Insect pest control provider Exosect has announced plans to launch its mating disruption product Exosex CM into South Africa next month in conjunction with distributor Biogrow.
Exosex CM has been designed to reduce the damage to apples and pears caused by the Codling moth.
Exosect claimed the product would be the first of its kind in South Africa, providing growers with a new type of mating disruption system, offering flexibility in terms of varying harvest deadlines while reducing pesticide levels on crops.
For the past three years Biogrow has conducted field trials in apple and pear orchards across South Africa to prove the effectiveness of Exosex CM.
Martin Brown, managing director at Exosect said the trials showed when used in conjunction with an integrated pest management approach, Exosex CM achieved a robust level of control.
“The result of these trials also suggests that the pest may be building up a resistance to the chemicals commonly used to treat crops, as such it is even more imperative that growers are given additional alternatives to pest control to reduce the need to use increased levels of pesticides,” he added.
As part of the product launch, Exosect and Biogrow are offering technical advisers the opportunity to further develop their understanding of the Auto-Confusion technique on which it operates and to sign up for practical demonstrations.
Wayne Gabb, managing director at Biogrow said: “We have been very impressed with the results of the Exosex CM trials and are confident that this product will follow the developmental success it has seen in the UK and the US.”
Biogrow will be responsible for the rollout and for maintaining regular contact with growers to monitor all aspects of the system from ease of use to actual performance.
Exosex CM has already been registered for commercial use in the UK and in the US, where it has been granted organic status from IFOAM-affiliated organic certification bodies the Soil Association, Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute).
