New moth attractant, formulated with inputs approved by FAO, Chamariz is recommended by official organs of Australia; for a UFG researcher, this technology anticipates information about the entering of moths in the crops.

AgBiTech Brazil announces the launching of a biological control tool that allows reduction above 95% of population of moths in cotton areas, according to recent surveys. Described conceptually as an “attractive” for moths, 100% natural, consisting in an unprecedent mix of plant extracts, the product Chamariz is also safe, efficient, and selective to insets, including bees, according to the of Australo-American origin.

The company recommends the producer to start the applications of Chamariz, whether aerial or terrestrial, when there is an increase in the adult population peak. “It is essential to monitor the moths”, observes Marcelo Lima, agronomist and Research & Development Manager of AgBiTech. “The product attracts moths and controls them by acting as an ‘adulticide’ insecticide. When mixed at low proportions, it prevents the development and growth of the pest over the cotton fields.”

According to Lima, Chamariz is the result of an innovation process that has begun in Australia about two years ago and was extended to Brazil on an experimental basis . In the country, it has been analyzed jointly with big producers, official bodies, agronomy colleges, such as UFG – Universidade Federal de Goiás/Federal University of Goias –, and AgBiTech Research & Development sector.

According to the company, analyses carried out so far points out that Chamariz registers a surprising performance over moths of Spodoptera frugiperda, Spodotera eridania, Spodoptera cosmioides, Anticarsia gemmatalis, Elasmopalpus lignosellus, Helicoverpa armigera, H. zea, Chloridea virescens, among other pests.

For researchers, the product will bring a new evolutive stage in the adoption of control by food attractants in the cotton plant, which, allied with biological control, “will represent a milestone in the integrated pest management in this crop”, says Marcelo Lima. For AgBiTech, Chamariz also delivers differentials widely favorable to growers when linked to the handling of pest resistance to chemical insecticides and biotechnologies.

“If the producer keeps this tool in the field, through traps or bands, he will have a chance to eliminate a significant percentage of eggs and, consequently, of caterpillars in his/hers land”, emphasizes Dr. Cecilia Czepak, professor at the Agronomy College at the Universidade Federal de Goiás.

“Regarding the looper caterpillar (Chrysodeixis includens), for example, we know that the female can lay 600 eggs on average. This is to say that if we remove 50 females from the fields by week, we will prevent, by behavioral control, the hatching of 30 thousand caterpillars at least,” explains Czepak. “During the tests, we were able to collect, in a single trap, more than 1,500 moths of loopers. In a rough estimate, therefore, we can conclude that if half of that amount was formed by females, we have prevented the hatching of 450 thousand caterpillars,” she added.

According to AgBiTech, at least five big groups of Brazilian cotton producing groups will use the new technology in the 2020-21 crop. “In Australia, Chamariz was adopted by 60% of growers in the first year after its launching for resistance management, recommended by regulatory agencies in the country. One big global company of agrochemicals has also endorsed the product for the same purpose,” Lima added.

He also pointed out that the new Chamariz counts on active ingredients in its formulation that constitute additives for food products, approved by the FAO –Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

 

About AgBitech

Since 2002, a AgBiTech has been providing consistent, high tech products that helps to turn agriculture in a more profitable and sustainable activity. The company combines field experience with scientific innovation. It works along the growers, consultants and researchers, and develops highly efficient solutions for the management of agricultural pests. Controlled by the fund of private equity Paine Schwartz Partners (PSP), AgBiTech manufactures its entire line of products in the most modern producing unit of baculovirus in the world, in Dallas (Texas, USA). www.agbitech.com.br