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KeyPlex® Announces AWP, a New Tool for Navel Orangeworm Control
WINTER PARK, FL: March 5, 2019. KeyPlex is pleased to announce the launch of AWP, an essential-oil based insecticide with multiple modes of action against leps, such as navel orangeworm (NOW), mites and other insects.
“AWP (named for almonds, walnuts and pistachios) is perfect for the situation right now that nut growers are dealing with in terms of increased pest pressure, development of pest resistance and regulatory agencies removing certain insecticides,” says Gerald O’Connor, KeyPlex CEO. “Botanical oils contain complex molecules with multiple modes of action, which make it nearly impossible for pests to develop resistance. Essential oils also have GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status with FDA and are exempt from EPA registration, and there is zero worker-reentry interval (REI) or pre-harvest interval (PHI). This gives growers flexibility in scheduling spray applications and getting workers back into the field right away. Finally, and most importantly, AWP is effective as both a repellent and toxicant.
“We have specifically customized this product for difficult insects like the navel orange worm, and it was based on efficacy data we generated on a surrogate insect within the same family – the Indian meal moth,” says Steve Bessette, Vice President of the Botanical division at KeyPlex. “We selected different modes of action and put them together to maximize performance. AWP provides protection through repellency in early season, as well as knock down and mortality on contact. AWP is also repellant to pests afterwards. It’s not a mating disruptor, but it does deter oviposition.”
The navel orangeworm is a leading pest in nut crops and in some years can cause as much as 10% crop loss and cost hundreds of dollars – sometimes thousands – in lost revenue per acre. The larvae burrow into the nuts, destroying them, and the damage can lead to fungal infection and associated aflatoxins, causing food safety concerns.
Bessette recommends that growers spray AWP in March or April on the trees themselves and on the borders of the orchard to repel NOW moths flying in from another orchard.
“We recommend early spraying, to deter egg laying on the nuts and keep the moths from the groves in the first place,” Bessette says. “Once the larvae start burrowing into the nut, the damage is done. We are happy to be able to offer a new solution with a proven mode of action to nut growers as they manage this pest.”
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About KeyPlex: Founded in 1980, KeyPlex serves the agricultural and the mosquito abatement community with highly-effective plant nutritionals and bio-control products. KeyPlex provides effective, safe products growers can trust. The company’s ongoing research and development programs with customers, scientists, science advisory panel (SAP) and leading research universities enjoy a reputation for a heritage of excellence.
