New Insect and Disease Control Options for Hemp Growers
March 26, 2020 
Hemp growers looking for new materials to manage insects and diseases now have a few additional choices. Sym-Agro, which covers the horticulture and agricultural specialty market, has assembled a suite of naturally derived, broad-spectrum tools to give hemp growers control over powdery mildew, botrytis, mites (including hemp russet mite), worms, and other common pests and diseases.
“These formulations deliver control of common and hard-to-manage hemp pests and diseases,” says Sym-Agro President Peter Bierma. “They are designed to provide greater bio-efficacy toward a broad spectrum of species, without leaving a visible residue, and with the flexibility of applying safely up to the day of harvest.”
Products currently available in Sym-Agro’s suite of hemp pest and disease control products include:
Alluma: A tank mix option that makes insecticide control more effective. The high-potency, plant-based essential oil acts as an insecticide, insect repellent, and miticide. It works as a contact repellent and translaminar product, as well as a feeding and oviposition deterrent. Trial work with Cinnerate and azadirachtin insecticides has shown a high synergy and increased pest spectrum and control.
AVIV: This is a clear liquid, non-staining Bacillus designed to protect against fungi, bacteria, and soil-borne diseases. AVIV uses a patented manufacturing process to optimize the bioavailability of its active ingredient, a newly discovered strain of Bacillus subtilis IAB/BS03. The process helps AVIV solubilize completely in the spray tank, eliminating the risk of clogged application equipment and leaving no visual deposit on treated crops. The increased bioavailability of AVIV’s active ingredient means low use rates.
AzaPro: AzaPro is a broad-spectrum insecticide/nematicide that delivers 3-in-1 control of more than 300 different insects, mites, and nematodes. Its active ingredient is a highly bioactive form of azadirachtin. The clean formulation contains 75% less carrier oil. With a dual mode of action, it acts primarily as an insect growth regulator, with residual formula that acts as a repellent.
Cinnerate: A knock-down miticide and fungicide that stops disease and immobilizes and kills mites and other insects, Cinnerate’s active ingredient is based on cinnamon oil, emulsified with potassium oleate. It provides high levels of control with low application rates and a high degree of crop safety. Cinnerate has an eradicative effect against many fungal pathogens such as powdery mildews, Botrytis, rusts, and other diseases. It controls most mite species, affecting all life stages including eggs as well other insect pests.
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