Imidacloprid has been a key tool in the fight against HLB. The insecticide is particularly important in protecting young trees from the Asian citrus psyllid, the vector of HLB disease.
Admire Pro SLN is currently labeled to treat young citrus trees for HLB. But a fire at the Bayer manufacturing facility where the product is made has disrupted supplies.
During the latest All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, addresses efforts being made to assist growers to find a replacement product.
Nutrien also has an imidacloprid product, Wrangler, which has the same rates and use patterns as Admire Pro. The citrus industry is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to seek a special local need 24(c) label to allow the use of Wrangler.
“We had a special local need label for Admire Pro that allows growers to apply higher use rates in season to protect citrus trees from the psyllid, especially young trees,” Rogers said. “We worked with EPA to get that label around 2012/2013, but with the issue with Admire Pro, it might be a while before it is back on the market. So, there are some efforts underway with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Citrus Mutual, and we think we will be able to get another special local need label for another imidacloprid product (Wrangler).”
To learn more about the imidacloprid effort and to hear updates from UF/IFAS research and education centers, tune in to the September All In For Citrus podcast. The podcast is a joint project of UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.
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