Protecting plants with Pradia

Photo courtesy of OHP

Greenhouse Management: What are the active ingredients in Pradia? Why are those significant?

Carlos Bográn: Pradia contains Cyclaniliprole, which is a relatively new and different diamide insecticide, and Flonicamid, which is a selective feeding-blocker type insecticide. Cyclaniliprole is active on contact and ingestion with most chewing insects, thrips and some sucking insects. Flonicamid is active systemically on key sucking pests including aphids, whiteflies and thrips. This unique, broad spectrum, quick knockdown combination targets selective greenhouse and nursery pests, with three to four weeks of residual control, while offering low resistance as well as being compatible with biological protocols.

GM: What are the advantages of Pradia?

CB: The main advantages of Pradia are the added benefit of two distinct modes of action providing efficacy on most, if not all, key pests while providing selectivity on biological control agents (BCAs) and pollinators. This novel combination provides growers with alternatives to less selective neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides while maintaining some of the benefits of these older products including quick knockdown and residual activity. Pradia protects plants from the outside from chewing insects and from the inside from sucking insects.

GM: What makes Pradia different from other insecticides?

CB: Most insecticides are either water soluble or oil soluble, but not both. Pradia’s formulation combines the benefits of high water solubility that targets sucking insects with good oil solubility that targets chewing insect pests while having enough overlap activity on key insects to keep insecticide selection pressure at bay. Pradia’s formulation was specifically designed for ornamental growers in the U.S. It is not an agricultural product that also works on ornamentals.

GM: How should growers incorporate Pradia into their IPM program?

CB: Pradia can be easily incorporated into insect pest management programs because 1) it is safe on crops, even during the flowering stage, 2) it can be used in addition to or instead of currently used insecticides and 3) it is compatible with both biological and conventional products and BCAs used in biological control.

GM: What feedback have you heard from growers who have used Pradia?

CB: We have had great reports from the field on the efficacy of Pradia against some of the most difficult to control pests, including mealybugs and thrips, for which there are fewer and fewer options available. We have also heard from natural enemy suppliers that they are suggesting Pradia be used in integrated programs to clean up pest hot spots while maintaining activity of BCAs released for biological control of insect pests. We are also getting new results on the activity of Pradia in drench or sprench applications, which are soon to be included in the Pradia label, especially on aphids, providing long residual activity similar to that of other systemic insecticides.