New Organic Mating Disruption Products for Pest Control Approved
April 6, 2022 Suterra, a global leader in sustainable pheromone pest control, announced four of its products are now listed with the Organic Materials Review Institute, or OMRI, for use in organic agricultural production.
“With the increasing popularity of organic products by consumers, many agricultural producers are looking for ways to meet the demand for organic fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the USA,” says Lauren Simpson, Suterra Product Manager. “Organic growers will now have an easier time accessing Suterra’s effective, proven tools to sustainably control pests.”
Suterra’s season-long mating disruption products release species-specific sex pheromones into the environment, making it difficult for males to locate and mate with females. The result is lower pest populations and damage to crops with higher yields and better quality crops for growers. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that growers can control pest populations with non-toxic products that leave no residue, are safe for beneficial insects like bees and lady bugs, and fit into their integrated pest management plans.
New to the OMRI list are CheckMate VMB-XL and CheckMate CRS, two of Suterra’s most popular dispenser products. Growers simply hang the pheromone dispensers once per season in their vineyard to control vine mealybug or citrus orchard for California Red Scale. If left unchecked, both of these pests can create significant economic damage to crops.
Celeda CM 300 is a new dispenser design used for mating disruption of the codling moth pest in apple and pear orchards. It will be available to a limited number of growers in the Pacific Northwest this season. CheckMate Puffer CM-O Pro is a different approach to codling moth damage control in organic orchards. It is an aerosol pheromone emitter that automatically releases metered “puffs” into the orchard canopy when the male pests are active. The result is the same: mating is disrupted, and crop damage is less.
Organic growers can find all of Suterra’s organic product offerings here, and find Suterra’s OMRI listed products here.