Transform WG Insecticide Receives Federal Registration

Dow AgroSciences has received federal registration of Transform WG insecticide, described by company representatives as a distinctive new chemistry that provides outstanding and sustainable control of tarnished plant bugs – the top insect pest in cotton production.

Transform – which was approved in the Mid-South under a Section 18 emergency exemption in 2012 – is a fast-acting insecticide featuring the active ingredient sulfoxaflor, a proprietary, new class of chemistry that controls sucking and piercing (sap) insects such as tarnished plant bugs, aphids and fleahoppers.

“We’ve put Transform in rigorous university field trials throughout the Mid-South for six years, and we’re confident it will provide the insect control cotton growers need to maximize yield and lint quality,” stated Phil Jost, portfolio marketing leader for Dow AgroSciences. “It offers the effective control of sap-feeding insects necessary to protect cotton yield and increase profit potential.”

“We’ve been evaluating Transform for the last several years and it has been very effective in controlling plant bugs,” said Dr. Gus Lorenz, Extension entomologist with the University of Arkansas. “Transform offers the kind of plant bug control that will allow cotton growers to maximize their yields and profit potential.”

Dr. Scott Stewart, Extension entomologist at the University of Tennessee, agrees.

“Transform looks great on plant bugs and is the new standard in aphid control,” Stewart pointed out. “It’s going to fit very nicely in an insect management program.”

Controlling tarnished plant bugs has become increasingly difficult in recent years as resistance to neonicotinoids, pyrethroids and organophosphates develops. The unique chemistry of Transform WG – which is the only Group 4C insecticide in the cotton market – offers producers a valuable new resistance management and rotational tool. It also offers excellent residual control and a very low use rate that helps maintain most beneficial insects and minimizes flaring of aphids or mites. The product can be applied by either air or ground.

Hank Jones, a consultant with C&J Ag Consulting in Pioneer, LA, worked with Transform while it was approved under a Section 18 exemption in 2012. He expects the product to be valuable in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

“The unique mode of action in Transform is going to offer a lot to cotton producers and consultants,” Jones said. “It gives us a product that will not only work immediately, but will also extend the life of other products currently in the market.”

“Other products are only providing five days of residual control,” added Kevin Corban, a cotton consultant from Rolling Fork, MS. “Based on what I saw of Transform in 2012, it looks like we’ll be able to get greater residual control under normal plant bug pressure.”

Visit http://www.TransformInsecticide.com for more information.