Features Fruit Production
Insecticide receives high marks in grower survey

March 9, 2009, Indianapolis, Ind. – A recent survey gauging
satisfaction with Delegate™ WG insecticide yielded a positive reaction
from more than 500 U.S. fruit growers, according to Dow AgroSciences.

March 9, 2009, Indianapolis, Ind. – A recent survey gauging satisfaction with Delegate™ WG insecticide yielded a positive reaction from more than 500 U.S. fruit growers, according to Dow AgroSciences.

Surveys were mailed nationwide to fruit growers who purchased Delegate, targeting growers with 40 or more acres. Respondents ranked the effectiveness of Delegate in controlling numerous pests, including codling moth, Oriental fruit moth, leafminer, leafrollers and Asian citrus psylla on a scale of one to five, with one representing least satisfied and five representing most satisfied.

Below are the scores growers gave Delegate for efficacy in controlling key pests on their farms:

• Codling moth — 4.5
• Oriental fruit moth — 4.6
• Leafrollers — 4.6
• Leafminer — 4.4
• Asian citrus psylla — 4.2
• Pear psylla — 4.2

Additionally, a grower’s likeliness to recommend Delegate™ WG insecticide received an average score of 4.5 among the 522 responses. One of those respondents was Tim Mercier, owner of Mercier Orchards, who has 240 acres of pome fruit in Blue Ridge, Ga.

“We had a large codling moth problem the previous two years,” Mercier says. “Luckily Delegate was available this past growing season. We didn’t have any codling moth problems this season — none. Delegate provided excellent control.”

Jeff Leonardini, crop consultant for Washington Fruit in Yakima, Wash., echoed Mercier’s statements. “With other products we’ve used, we’d always find entry and exit points,” Leonardini says. “But with Delegate, the exit holes were not there. That was really gratifying because it meant the product performed as we’d hoped.”

David Wenk, who partners with his brother John to operate Three Springs Fruit Farm in Aspers, Pa., used Delegate on 278 acres. “The rainy weather made for difficult conditions when we used Delegate, but it still worked very well,” Wenk says. “We had very good control of codling moth, Oriental fruit moth and tufted apple budmoth. My experience with Delegate has been 100 per cent favorable.”

Learn more at www.dowagro.com.