A new Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) of the pesticide indoxacarb will help UK soft-fruit growers to control the light brown moth and other caterpillar pests more effectively, according to the Horticultural Development Company (HDC).
The new EAMU ensures that the pesticide, marketed with the name Steward, will be approved for use in both protected and outdoor scenarios, and according to the HDC, blueberry growers will benefit as it offers a brand new option to control the light brown moth under protection where there were previously no other approvals for caterpillar control.
'This is very good news for blueberry growers as light brown apple moth caterpillars have become a very damaging pest for protected blueberries in the UK and until now, we’ve not had a really effective crop protection product available,' said Graham Moore of the HDC's farm advisory services team.
Under the EAMU, Steward can be applied twice per season in protected raspberry and blackberry crops (1 day harvest interval), once per season in outdoor raspberry and blackberry (7 day harvest interval) and once per season in outdoor and protected blueberry (7 day harvest interval).
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