First California Red Scale Aerosol Mating Disruption Product Approved
May 16, 2017 Semios has received EPA and California Department of Pest Regulation (DPR) approval for CRS Plus, an aerosol pheromone biopesticide product that disrupts the mating of California Red Scale (CRS).
Semios has received EPA and California approval for the first aerosol-based pheromone mating disruption solution to combat California Red Scale in citrus crops. (Photo Credit: Semios)
CRS (Aonidiella aurantii) attacks all parts of citrus trees including twigs, leaves, branches, and, most importantly, the fruit. Heavy infestations can cause quality downgrades at the packinghouse, diminishing grower revenue. In high numbers, CRS can cause yellowing and drop of leaves, dieback of twigs and limbs, even tree death.
The Semios CRS Plus solution is delivered via the company’s internet-of-things (IoT) platform as variable rate mating disruption, using nature’s own communication system – pheromones – to disrupt the behavior of the insects, prevent mating and reducing damage.
Approximately 1 tablespoon per acre of the safe, non-toxic and organic pheromone ingredients needs to be delivered over an entire season, based on the insect growth cycles. To achieve this, the CRS Plus product is delivered on-demand, when and where needed, via remotely controlled dispensers on every acre.
“We’re very pleased to be first to market with the only aerosol solution for CRS control,” Michael Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Semios, said. “This product was developed in direct response to California citrus growers seeking an alternative to traditional CRS insecticide treatments, which showed decreasing efficacy in the face of increasing resistance development.”
“Although the application of pheromones in pest management has been predominantly used in apple crops, we believe there will be an acceleration of their use in other specialty crops,” Gilbert added. “The key to broader adoption of pheromones for pest control is technology that enables variable rate applications, an area where Semios is the leader.”
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