Eradicoat protection

Eradicoat is a physically acting biopesticide that has been shown to be highly effective against a number of common glasshouse pests.  Currently exempt from registration in the UK due to its physical mode of action, it has become a key component of IPM programmes and is primarily employed by growers of high value salad crops and soft fruit to treat hot spots of spider mite and whitefly.  Eradicoat works effectively with biological controls and is approved for use in conventional and organic production systems.  The product has been marketed for six years in the UK and the improved formulation Eradicoat T, which leaves no sticky deposit on the fruit, has been available for 3 years. The product is also sold in Sweden, where it is also exempt from pesticide registration due to its physical mode of action, and is registered as a natural product in the Netherlands under the RUB scheme.

Eradicoat was originally developed as a resistance management tool.  As a consequence of the EU registration process, growers have lost a number of chemical pesticides from their armoury and the increased frequency of use of remaining products with the potential for the build up of resistance is of concern in a variety of crop situations and has to be an important consideration.  Eradicoat operates by blocking the spiracles of the insects and suffocating them or by sticking them to the leaf surface.  Pests cannot develop resistance to this physically acting pesticide so its use within a treatment programme can help to prolong the life of chemical pesticides, making them available to growers for longer by slowing down possible resistance build up.

Compatibility with biological controls is particularly valuable in the face of increasingly stringent crop production protocols.  Eradicoat and Eradicoat T kill target pests within hours of spraying and as soon as the spray is dry biological controls can be reintroduced.  In addition, it does not harm bumblebees so application does not need to interrupt pollination.  By providing effective control alongside the biological controls, it can help growers to optimise their yields of good quality fruit, while still complying with the protocols and it can, of course, be used in organic production.

Growers in the UK have experience of Eradicoat over the past five years and have reported excellent results against a variety of pests, including spider mite (eggs, nymphs and adults), whitefly (all stages), leafminer (adults), mealybug (all active stages) and minor pests (thrips, aphids and leafhopper).  They have welcomed the new formulation, Eradicoat T, which leaves no visible spray deposit on fruit, which is of particular importance for tomato growers, and has also greatly reduced reported stickiness under foot.

Efficacy data from autumn 2006 shows even better control of spider mite in protected cucumbers using Eradicoat T:

Growers have found that the new formulation provides better kill of spider mite and mealybug as well as whitefly and Macropholus in tomatoes.  In a tank mix with sulphur, Eradicoat T has also shown outstanding control of russet mite, normally a problem in southern Mediterranean regions, in tomatoes.  In cucumbers Eradicoat T is effective in controlling spider mite, whitefly and Aphis gossypii and it is used for aphid control in peppers and for whitefly, spider mite and thrips control in protected strawberry crops.  Because of the many benefits of Eradicoat T, use has been extended into other sectors. For example, the product now makes an important contribution to IPM programmes for a major houseplant grower where Eradicoat T sprayed weekly controls shorefly and sciarid in Calla lilies.

Biological Crop Protection (BCP), in conjunction with its sister company Certis, is now planning to market the soft pesticide Europe-wide. With no MRL and a zero-harvest interval, the product is particularly valuable for growers and avoids any interruption to daily harvesting programmes. BCP is now working with The UK’s Pesticide Safety Directorate to progress a Europe-wide registration of this valuable IPM tool.