Exosect, a leading provider of Intelligent Pest Management solutions, has said that its Exosex CM mating disruption technology reduces fruit damage by 85 per cent more than standard organic sprays in Kent and East Sussex orchards.

The results are drawn from an evaluation of Exosex CM active for the damaging codling moth, as trialled by the specialist English top-fruit marketer Norman Collett. The trials were used to test the efficacy of the Exosex CM solution on a range of new, more disease-resistant varieties of organically grown apples.

Exosex CM is used to control the population of codling moth, a destructive global pest of apples and pears. The trials were carried out over eight hectares in total, at farms in Kent and East Sussex, owned by Janet and Eric Rowlands. On 4ha, an organic spray regime was used and on the remaining 4ha, Exosex CM was used exclusively. The organic spray regime resulted in 7.7 per cent fruit damage, whereas the Exosex CM plot received only 1.1 per cent fruit damage. With the rainfall this summer, spray regimes proved difficult to administer. In comparison, the Exosex CM solution remained unaffected by the weather.

The Rowlands said: “We have been very impressed with the Exosex CM solution for controlling the codling moth pest. Whilst picking, we have seen large numbers of moths around the Exosect dispensers and can see easily from the trial results the significant effect that Exosex CM has had in reducing fruit damage. Next year, we will be treating the whole orchard.”

Norman Collett’s technical director Nigel Jenner added: “At Norman Collett, we are always looking for new disease-resistant fruit crops. The new Italian apple crop, Modi, is resistant to scab, apple mildew and aphids but not pests. So from an organic view, it’s a great crop if we can control pests such as the codling moth. Exosex is one of very few products that effectively controls the codling moth, and is the only viable option of controlling it without the use of pesticides.

“As consumer demand continues to grow for locally grown, organic produce with zero pesticide residues, the pressure is on growers to find and grow both disease and pest-resistant fruit. Exosex CM enables us to do this in place of a traditional spray programme.”

Exosex CM is registered for commercial use in the UK, the US, New Zealand and South Africa. It has been granted organic status with IFOAM affiliated organic certification bodies, The Soil Association, Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd, OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) and BioGro New Zealand Ltd.

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