By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Rio Grande Valley citrus farmers now have a new tool in the fight against the devastating citrus greening disease, thanks to developers at Valent USA, an integrated crop protection and pest management company.
Last year brought four new products to the Valent lineup, according to Jesse Rosales, manager of crop and brand strategy.
“It’s been a pretty exciting year for us. With each product launch, we do have specific markets that we’re focusing on,” Rosales said in an interview with Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “Our new product, Senstar insecticide, is a pre-mix of pyriproxyfen and spirotetramat. That one’s a pretty exciting new insecticide for Texas, because it has excellent control over the various pests farmers might encounter in the citrus industry there.”
Asian citrus psyllids, which spread the devastating disease citrus greening, are controlled by the chemicals in Senstar.
“The reason why it’s particularly exciting and what differentiates it is that the two unique modes of action actually end up offering full life cycle management over the pests,” Rosales said. “So, in terms of having peace of mind and being able to offer growers a full lifecycle management over key pests, Senstar is a pretty great option.”
The last few years have been a time of accelerated innovation and development for the company, according to Rosales.
“Over the next couple of years, you’ll see quite a few new product launches–stuff ranging from game-changer type herbicides that’ll be rolled out here in the next three to four years, and then also a really strong set of various categories, including bionematicides, some new insecticides and so forth,” he said.
Rosales noted Valent’s primary guiding focus is improving plant productivity and efficiency, which translates to improved efficiency and sustainability for farmers.
“We’re really focusing on these types of innovations and new active ingredients to really push the limit of plant performance,” he said.
Citrus farmers interested in learning more about Senstar can reach out to their Valent sales representative, or more information is available online.