November 11, 2014
ADAMA Technical News Release
Editorial written by Pablo A. Navia Gine, ADAMA Innovation Technical Leader (pictured)
For years, commercial vegetable growers have been confined to using restricted use pesticides, primarily fumigants, for nematode management. And while waiting for a new resolve to an old problem, growers have lost use of methyl bromide and a few other carbamate and organophosphate nematicide products.
With nematode control options depleting, growers have been forced into battle with tools that are hard to use, increasingly expensive and loaded with use restrictions.
In September 2014, a long-awaited breakthrough in new technology arrived with EPA’s announcement that NIMITZ™ nematicide received federal registration on cucurbits and fruiting vegetables.
Of the seven main nematode control alternatives used in the last five years on high value crops, six are soil fumigants, including methyl bromide, and the seventh is a carbamate. All seven are restricted use pesticides, which the EPA has cited as posing a greater risk to human health than fluensulfone, the active ingredient in NIMITZ.
Restricted use pesticides require special applicator training and certification, reporting and record-keeping and additional restrictive labeling to protect against human exposure. Without a doubt, ‘old school’ fumigant nematicides continue to help growers suppress nematode damage on crops. But because they are so complex and require excessive management to reduce risk and liability, the need for innovative options and product alternatives is at an all-time high.
Ground-breaking upgrade
The industry is focused not only on today’s standards for crop production, but tomorrow’s requirements for delivering healthy and abundant food. At the farm gate, that means grower demands for gold standard crop protection with highly-sustainable features and benefits will soar.
With product development priorities centered on efficacy, simplicity and improved safety, agrochemical manufacturers are pulling out all the stops in the R&D pipeline to deliver as expected.
Exclusive to nematode management, NIMITZ comes to market at just the right time – being the only nematicide that can deliver on all three.
Unlike older chemistries, NIMITZ is not a fumigant. The active ingredient is distributed through the soil and into contact with nematodes through water movement via irrigation or rainfall following application. Applied by drip-injection, and broadcast or banding with mechanical incorporation, NIMITZ creates a protective zone for early root establishment and ongoing plant development.
In regards to how it works, NIMITZ is a true nematicide which kills the target through direct contact rather than temporary paralysis (nematostatic) as seen with older organophosphate and carbamate chemistry. After one hour of contact, target nematodes cease feeding. Within 24 to 48 hours they become paralyzed and then die.
Killing nematodes versus immobilizing them is a new paradigm for commercial vegetable growers and an important market upgrade for strategic nematode management.
A simpler solution
As the first new chemical nematicide to be introduced in more than 20 years, NIMITZ is the only non-fumigant that can deliver simplicity and safety.
It has the least restrictive signal word of ‘Caution’ on its label which allows growers to avoid public hazard and complex regulations associated with fumigant nematicides.
Personal protective equipment requirements are less complicated – requiring only a long-sleeve shirts, pants and chemical resistant gloves. And, in contrast to fumigant nematicides, grower can say goodbye to Fumigant Management Plans, 24-hour field monitoring and restrictive buffer zones.
NIMITZ is going to be an important ‘step change’ for the commercial specialty crop market.
There are a lot a ‘first time’ qualities with this nematicide which makes it novel and highly innovative. Plus, it fills the void for growers seeking an alternative for quality nematode control following the phase out of methyl bromide.
NIMITZ has been evaluated in more than 1,000 field trials – demonstrating successful control, and often times with an increase in marketable yields. And, control extends to the major nematode species on vegetable acres.
NIMITZ FAQs
The first registration for NIMITZ will include cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupe, squash, tomatoes, peppers, okra and eggplants. In the future, a secondary crop tier will be submitted for EPA approved use on potatoes, strawberries, carrots, tobacco and turf. State registrations for NIMITZ are approved in Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. State registrations are expected for Florida, Georgia, California, Arizona and other vegetable producing states.
For more information about NIMITZ, contact ADAMA at 866-406-6262 or visit adama.com.
Pablo A. Navia Gine has submitted scientific abstracts regarding NIMITZ nematicide which will presented at the 2014 Annual International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions, November 4-6, 2014 in Maitland, Florida, and the 22nd International Pepper Conference, November 17-20, 2014, in Viña del Mar, Chile.
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd (formerly Makhteshim Agan Industries) is a leading global manufacturer and distributor worldwide of crop protection solutions. The company supplies efficient solutions across the full farming value-chain, including crop protection, novel agricultural technologies, and complementary non-crop businesses. The company is characterized by its customer approach to product development and services, and observance of strict standards of environmental protection and quality control.
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