Cruiser™ Seed Treatment Insecticide Registered to Protect Against Key Pests in Sorghum

Posted 17 August 2001. Plant Health Progress.

(Hutchinson, KS, June 13, 2001) Cruiser™, a new seed treatment from Syngenta Crop Protection, has been registered for use in grain sorghum. Cruiser shows outstanding protection against greenbugs, chinch bugs, wireworms and aphids with superior seed and crop safety. Cruiser offers advantages over other insecticides on the market, including seed treatments, in-furrow treatments and foliar applications.

“Cruiser works well in any year, but it really stands out from its competitors in years marked by stressful growing conditions such as we often see in sorghum-growing areas,” says Mark Jirak, seed treatment crop manager for Syngenta. “Under dry conditions, Cruiser activates quickly, thanks to its high water solubility, more than seven times that of Gaucho. Conversely, if conditions turn wet after planting, the active ingredient in Cruiser moves onto and binds tightly with soil particles in the root zone until it is absorbed and translocated throughout the seedling.”

Cruiser is one of a new family of chemicals called neonicotinoids and is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be a replacement for the organophosphates. Insect pests absorb Cruiser through contact and stomach activity. Once in the pest, Cruiser quickly blocks receptors that transmit the message to continue eating. Feeding is terminated, hence preventing plant damage.

In sorghum, Cruiser protects against corn leaf aphids, yellow sugarcane aphids, greenbugs, chinch bugs, seedcorn maggots and wireworms, and suppresses fire ants.

Field trials conducted by state universities, seed companies and Syngenta demonstrate Cruiser seed treatment’s highly effective protection. “Cruiser works extremely well, providing 30 to 45 days of residual activity for early-season greenbug protection,” says Z.B. Mayo, an entomologist at the University of Nebraska. “We have found that sometimes if you protect against early-season infestations, you don’t get late-season infestations.”

Kansas State University (KSU) researchers also report excellent protection against greenbugs. “Cruiser provided 100 percent protection of early-season greenbugs. Preliminary data suggest that its systemic activity provided 50 percent protection against late-season greenbugs,” says Gerald Wilde, KSU entomologist. “We found Cruiser to be effective for about 30 days after planting on chinch bugs and early-season pests like wireworms.”

Mayo concurs. “Cruiser provided insurance against greenbugs, worked well on chinch bugs and was very good on wireworms.”

As a seed treatment, Cruiser is in the immediate root zone for early absorption and transfer to young roots, shoots and leaves. Its low rate of only 5.1 fluid ounces per 100 pounds of seed shows no detrimental effect on the young plant. This low seed-loading rate means less active ingredient applied per seed and less stress on the seedling compared to currently registered products.

Cruiser also works well with other products. “Cruiser shows excellent compatibility when applied with the fungicides Maxim and Apron XL and the herbicide antidote ConcepIII,” says Jirak.

Brian Yutzy, general manager and researcher for Kauffman Seed Company, reports good plant vigor with Cruiser. “We compared Cruiser and the competitive seed treatment in plots with nine different hybrids over three plantings,” he explains. “Early on, we could see a difference. The Cruiser-treated stands looked greener, healthier and fuller in all but one of the plots.”

Yutzy compared Cruiser in combination with the fungicide package of Apron XL and Maxim to other products applied as part of a fungicide combination. “Cruiser with Apron XL and Maxim looked better than either Gaucho with Captan® and Allegiance™ or the two fungicides by themselves,” he says.

Based on three trials, Cruiser performed equal to or better than a competitive product. It also performed well on later plantings with heavier pest pressure, adds Yutzy. One thing that helps ensure optimum performance with Cruiser is its high water solubility rating of 4,100 ppm, which permits uptake even under very dry or very wet conditions.

“Early in the season, conditions were quite wet,” recalls Wilde. “In all tests, Cruiser performed very similarly to the competitive seed treatment. Statistically, it was hard to see a difference in protection.”

Early-season protection against pests aids the plant later in the season, says Chris Sansone, Extension entomologist for the Texas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in San Angelo, Texas. Early-season pests feed on the seedlings and also inject a toxin that slows plant development, which exposes the crop to high populations of midges later in the season.

“Our primary pests on sorghum are yellow sugarcane aphids and greenbugs. Cruiser provided excellent protection,” says Sansone. “With Cruiser we get a nice uniform stand and consistent growth. Growers like the appearance of the treated sorghum and are impressed with the product.”

Sansone thinks the high water solubility of Cruiser should be an advantage when growers are struggling with dry weather. “It doesn’t take many aphids injecting toxins before the damage is done. And it is hard to get the timing right on a foliar application,” he observes. “And, if it is windy or rainy, it is hard to spray an application by air. If it is too wet, it’s hard to get across the fields with a ground application. With a seed treatment, the product is there, and the plants don’t get damaged.”

Studies show that Cruiser seed treatment insecticide performs well, even under extreme conditions. Cruiser provides optimum protection against destructive sorghum pests, aiding users in the production of high-quality crops.