Category: Cultivation advice
Date published: July 08, 2019

Mycotal in Salad Crops

Make the most of Mycotal in your salad crop IPM strategy

Mycotal is a spore formulation of the insect pathogenic fungus Lecanicillium muscarium and is used for the control of the glasshouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. Mycotal is a novel pest control solution that can be used throughout the cropping season.

How does Mycotal work? Spores are applied to the crop using conventional spraying equipment, which germinate within hours to produce hyphae that penetrate the insect’s epicuticle before entering the inner tissues, where it rapidly proliferates, causing death of the target pest.

  • Salad crop approvals: tomato, cucumber aubergine, pepper, chilli, and lettuce, grown under permanent protection
  • Application rate: target concentration of 0.1% (1 g/l), with a maximum permitted individual dose of 2 kg/ha in 2000 l water
whitefly.jpg
Lecanicillium_muscarium_Koppert_Biological_Systems-2.jpg After dose of 2kg/ha
  • Spray equipment: full coverage of all plant surfaces is essential in order to achieve good contact with the target pests; select spray nozzles giving a droplet size range of 50-100 µm; angle spray nozzles to achieve good penetration of the canopy
  • Environmental conditions: the development of Mycotal is favoured by high relative humidity (above 70%, when applied with the adjuvant Addit) and temperatures between 18-28oC (optimum 20-25oC)

To ensure maximum germination of spores, and hence the highest possible levels of infection of target pests, Mycotal sprays should be synchronized with optimal humidity, which for most crops should occur in the late afternoon and evening, as the ambient temperature falls. Do not spray in direct sunlight, and always add the adjuvant Addit (1.25 ml/l), to improve wetting and sticking, and raise the relative humidity at the laminar boundary layer, to support spore germination.

Before applying fungicides to a Mycotal-treated crop, consult the Koppert Pesticide Side Effects webpage, or discuss the options with your Koppert Technical Consultant.

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