The approval provides the only chemical treatment now available in Ireland for these extremely damaging soil pests of golf courses, sports pitches, racecourses and gallops, bowling greens, airfields and other highly managed areas of amenity turfgrass and amenity grassland where the grass is very regularly mowed to maintain a short cut, along with professional application to commercial and residential lawns.
Set to announce the launch of Acelepryn at the Association of Turfgrass Professionals Ireland (ATPI) Conference in Galway (11-12 January 2023), Syngenta Turf Business Manager, Daniel Lightfoot, highlighted the damage caused by soil pests has been of increasing concern over recent seasons.
“Leatherjackets and chafer grubs can cause catastrophic damage to high-quality sports
surfaces, as well as high risks to players and horses where root damage results in the instability of turf,” he warned. “The issues have been occurring over an extended period with changing climatic conditions.
“The approval for Acelepryn will enable turf managers to develop more effective integrated turf management (ITM) programmes to tackle the severe effects of these pests.” Daniel added that new Syngenta research on golf courses and fine turf surfaces has investigated measures to refine the application timing, managing aeration practices and irrigation scheduling to maximise control, along with the potential to use Acelepryn in conjunction with effectively targeted nematode treatments.
The approval for the use of Acelepryn in Ireland allows one application per year on all permitted surfaces, at a rate of 0.6 litres per hectare. There is no limitation on the area of the permitted surface that can be treated. Extensive trials have shown the treatment is recognised to give good control of leatherjackets and chafer at the 1 st and 2 nd instar stages. The best results have consistently been achieved from optimised application timing to have product in the soil to target early-feeding larvae. Application at higher water volumes and using the white Syngenta 08 XC Soil Nozzle will ensure better penetration through to the surface, while maintaining moist soil surfaces before and after application will attract pest larvae into the treatment zone.
Acelepryn is distributed in Ireland by ICL. The company’s Country Manager, Colman Warde, said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to deliver such an important turf-specific product to tackle increasing issues of soil pests and to have it available across a wide range of permitted sports and amenity turf surfaces.
“Turf management professionals now have the chance to develop highly effective ITM strategies tailored to the different situations. We look forward to providing the essential technical support and training to achieve optimum results.”
Colman highlighted Acelepryn will be supplied in 0.6-litre packs, which would be available ready for the chafer grub timing – typically around mid-July, depending on the season and species – and leatherjacket treatments in the autumn.
ICL Technical Manager, Henry Bechelet, and Syngenta specialist, Glenn Kirby, have provided full insight into new developments and practical implications of leatherjacket ITM control programmes in their On the Horizon podcast.
An online turf pest ID guide, to aid the identification of adult stages of key soil pests and target application timing is also available on the Syngenta Turf website www.syngentaturf.co.uk
