Exosect, a provider of environmentally conscious insect pest control, is expanding with the recent announcement that Sci-Protek has been appointed to handle the distribution of Exosex CM and Exosex OFM throughout the U.S.
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| British fruit marketer Norman Collett Limited recently announced it is using the Exosex CM auto-confusion system for codling moth for its trials into new, more disease- resistant varieties of organically grown apples. |
Exosect, a provider of environmentally conscious insect pest control, is expanding with the recent announcement that Sci-Protek has been appointed to handle the distribution of Exosex CM and Exosex OFM throughout the U.S. Both Exosex CM (for codling moth) and Exosex OFM (for Oriental fruit moth) have been studied in field trials by Sci-Protek on conventional and organic sites over the last two years. The company is now in a position to formally launch the products in the U.S. for the 2007 season. The Exosex CM system is already helping growers reduce the number of sprays they use in orchards in the U.K., South Africa and New Zealand while U.S. growers will be the first to use Exosex OFM. The two products require only 10 dispensers per acre, each dispenser containing a synthetic female codling moth pheromone or female OFM pheromone. The system works by luring males into the dispensers using the female pheromone. Once they enter, the powder adheres strongly to the bodies of the male. The sensors of the coated moths are overwhelmed and they are unable to detect females, and therefore they do not mate, a process known as auto-confusion. The dispensers also act as a false lure for other moths and the mating cycle is disrupted, resulting in fewer caterpillars emerging to cause fruit damage. The technique is simple and helps to reduce the use of chemical spraying and the potential of residues in the crop. No information was released as to whether the products will be registered for use in Canada.
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