Bayer Belgium

Seed dressing of sugar beet with imidacloprid controlled pygmy beetle (Atomaria linearis), beet flea (Chaetocnema tibialis), Collembola (Onychiurus armatus), and aphids (Aphis fabae and Myzus persicae).Control of aphids for 8-10 wk after sowing prevented the transmission of virus yellows.Imidacloprid seed dressing of winter barley (70 g/100 kg) controlled aphids (including Sitobion avenae) in the fall and limited transmission of yellow dwarf virus.Granular imidacloprid (0.0125 g/plant) controlled aphids (M. persicae and Brevicoryne brassicae) on Brussels sprouts for several weeks.Repeated sprays of imidacloprid (0.0125%) on fuchsias were effective against white fly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum).

Field data are summarized from 4 yr of field trials with low-dose herbicide systems in sugar beets.Metamitron or chloridazon preemergence followed by 3 low-dose postemergence treatments with phenmedipham-ethofumesate-metamitron mixture (0.15 + 0.1 + 0.49 kg/ha) gave good control of persistent and late-germinating weeds such as Mercurialis annua, Aethusa cynapium Galium aparine, Polygonum convolvulus, and P. persicaria.Postemergence treatments at even lower rates (0.075 + 0.1 + 0.35 kg/ha) were frequently effective against Stellaria media, Matricaria chamomilla, Lamium purpureum, Fumaria officinalis, Viola arvensis, Sinapis arvensis, Solanum nigrum, and Chenopodium album.Control of 2 of the most difficult weeds, M. annua and A. cynapium, was improved by including lenacil and clopyralid, resp., in one of the postemergence sprays.

The selectivity, the range of activity, and both the level and duration of the efficacy of imidacloprid were determined in a series of field experimentsThe results on Pigmy mangold beetle, flea beetle, wireworm, springtail, mangold fly, aphids, and yellow virus are presented.In some experiments, doses of 45, 70 and 90 g /unit were compared.In every experiment, imidacloprid was compared to a reference product.Because of its selectivity, its biol. efficacy, and the increases in yield which were obtained, imidacloprid complies very well with the requirements of insecticide use regulations in Belgium.