The WI DATCP, International Crane Foundation (ICF), and UW Entomology Department have been notified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that temporary approval (Section 18 approval effective March 13, 2006 - August 15, 2006) has been given for the use of the non-lethal bird repellant, Avitec™.
Sandhill Cranes and Corn: AvitecTM
Corn Seed Treatment Approved for 2006
Eileen Cullen, Extension Entomologist
UW Entomology Department
The WI DATCP, International Crane Foundation (ICF), and UW Entomology Department have been notified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that temporary approval (Section 18 approval effective March 13, 2006 - August 15, 2006) has been given for the use of the non-lethal bird repellant, Avitec™. In 2006, this repellant can be used as a corn seed treatment (field and sweet corn) by farmers in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota in areas where Sandhill Cranes have been damaging corn fields by eating corn seeds and seedlings shortly after planting.
AvitecTM has an active ingredient of 9,10 Anthraquinone, a compound naturally produced by many plants to repel birds. This reduced-risk biopesticide, has been labeled as a repellent for geese in non-agricultural settings for several years. U.S. EPA Section 18 approval of Avitec™ for corn seed is the first agricultural application of 9,10 Anthraquinone, approved within the United States as a bird repellent.
AvitecTM is formulated as both a Dry Powder Corn Seed Treatment and a Liquid Corn Seed Treatment; therefore farmers can opt for on-farm planter box seed treatment or commercial seed treatment, respectively.
Cranes eat newly planted corn seeds that occur in straight rows at predictable intervals. Planted kernels are most vulnerable for about two weeks after the corn seedlings emerge. Cranes detect AvitecTM at very low levels and avoid it. Though treated, planted kernels are not consumed by cranes, the birds continue to forage on waste grains and other foods such as soil insect larvae and adults in those same fields. AvitecTM is a pragmatic and ecologically sound solution to crane crop damage. Importantly, the deterrent does not preclude cranes from foraging in cultivated areas where they obtain significant caloric and nutritional supplements.
As a non-restricted use pesticide (non-RUP), private applicators are not required to be certified to use AvitecTM planter box seed treatment. As with any pesticide (RUP or non-RUP), commercial applicators are required to be certified regardless of formulation. Growers purchasing AvitecTM are not required to obtain a WI DNR bird permit before use on corn seed, rather the manufacturer (Arkion Life Sciences LLC) and WI DATCP will maintain records of AvitecTM sales to the county and township level through 2006 distribution channels.
This first agricultural application of 9,10 Anthraquinone, approved within the United States as a bird repellent, is the result of a decade of field trial research and efficacy data by ICF, the manufacturer and collaborators to prevent damage that cranes cause to newly planted corn fields. ICF has worked with the U.S. EPA; the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; the University of Wisconsin-Madison Entomology Department; Michigan and Minnesota agriculture departments; Departments of Natural Resources for Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin; four farming organizations in three states; the Department of Wildlife Services (USDA); many individual farmers; U.S. Senator Herb Kohl’s Office; the IR-4 Project of Rutgers University; three local chapters of the Audubon Society; and Arkion, the manufacturer of AvitecTM. Applications for longer term use of AvitecTM are being pursued for the 2007 planting season.
For more information on obtaining Avitec™ in Wisconsin, please call the manufacturer Arkion at 1-800-468-6324 or visit their website at: www.arkionls.com . You can also contact your local agricultural supplier for Wisconsin distribution information. Here is a complete list of contacts for more information on the use of Avitec™ during the 2006 season:
Arkion Life Sciences LLC.
Wilmington, DE
1-800-468-6324
Contact: Deborah
University of Wisconsin Entomology Department
Madison, WI
1-608-261-1507
cullen@entomology.wisc.edu
Contact: Dr. Eileen Cullen (Field Crop Entomologist)
International Crane Foundation
Baraboo, WI
1-608-356-9462
Contacts:
Jeb Barzen (Director of Field Ecology) Ext. 125
Anne Lacy Ext. 146