PRESS RELEASE
20 August 2009
Tank mix adds value to frit fly control
Photo Caption: Untreated new ley, sown September – ploughed up due to frit damage.
Farmers can destroy grass swards and protect against the threat of frit fly in one treatment, advises Dow AgroSciences.
Second generation frit fly larvae can migrate out of dying swards to threaten newly sown grass leys or cereals crops. New seedlings are particularly vulnerable to damage from the pest in late summer and losses of up to 10% can occur.
“One way to prevent frit fly damage is to add Dursban WG* at a rate of 1kg/ha to glyphosate as the old sward is burnt off,” says Dow AgroSciences regional business manager Brent Gibbon. “Not only is the migration of larvae prevented, giving a good start for following crops, but the cost of an extra application pass is saved.”
Wynnstay agronomist Graeme Ditty, who has been encouraging his dairy farmers to use it for the last couple of years, supports this approach. “We’ve been controlling frit fly this way for some time now,” says Mr Ditty. “It particularly suits the less intensive farmers and reduces contactor costs by removing an additional pass. It’s proved very successful as we’ve had no problems with frit fly or leatherjackets.”
Dow AgroSciences technical expert David Roberts adds: “Dursban WG carries a 14 day interval for cutting or grazing so will not be suitable if these activities are planned after glyphosate treatment. In such instances Dursban WG, if required should be applied in the following crop. However, before any treatment, a risk assessment should be carried out. Dow AgroSciences has produced separate risk assessments for both arable and grassland crops to help growers decide if they need to treat or not.
The most up-to-date information on the threat of frit fly and risk assessment charts can be obtained from Dow’s Pestwatch service, available at
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*Dursban WG is a trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC