Time to take back control of brassica crops

Farmers get a new choice for protecting forage brassica crops from key pests this season, one that is formulated with the interests of both users and beneficial insects in mind.

TwinGuard from Corteva Agriscience combines the company’s two proprietary active ingredients – Jemvelva (Group 5) and Isoclast (Group 4C) – in an IPM-compatible, user-friendly water dispersable granule.

Approved by the EPA in July, it is expected to be in store in time for this year’s forage brassica crops, and is labelled for control of aphids, springtails, leaf miner, caterpillars and Nysius.

Corteva marketing manager Nicole Morris says TwinGuard’s registration will be welcome news for growers and retailers alike, especially coming hard on the heels of the EPA announcement banning chlorpyrifos in the New Zealand market.

“We’re very excited to now be able to offer a new-generation control option for Nysius in particular,” she says.
“It can be such a detrimental pest in its own right.”

Both Sparta (Jemvelva) and Transform (Isoclast) are well-proven in the NZ forage brassica insecticide market for their respective strengths, including caterpillars, leaf miner and springtails for Sparta, and aphids for Transform.

“Sparta will suppress Nysius, but TwinGuard is our first label claim for control, making it the next step in crop protection for farmers who want to protect their forage brassicas from a wider range of insect pests while still looking after their beneficials,” Morris says.

And as more and more growers seek out chemistry that aligns with their IPM strategies, thanks in no small part to the ongoing efforts of retailers and suppliers to raise awareness of the value of beneficials, bringing new options to the market can only be a good thing.

Corteva first lodged its application for TwinGuard with the EPA in early 2022, and hoped to launch it in 2023, so it’s taken four years to reach end users.

Morris says early feedback from the market is positive.

“Product won’t be available until early November, but with the chlorpyrifos ban being announced, the industry is keen to move ahead and asking what other options can be used going forward.”

TwinGuard is approved for both ground and aerial application, and offers the additional benefit of a relatively wide application window, covering both early establishment and post-canopy closure, depending on the target pests.

The grazing withholding period for meat is 14 days, and 28 days for milk, meaning it can be used for both summer and winter forage brassicas.