Avitec™ Approved for 2007: Corn Seed Treatment for Sandhill Cranes
Eileen Cullen, Extension Entomologist, UW Entomology Department
A Section 18 label has been issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and WI DATCP for Avitec™, a seed protectant of field and sweet corn against consumption by cranes. In 2007, Avitec can be used as a corn seed treatment in Wisconsin in areas where Sandhill Cranes have been damaging corn fields by eating corn seeds and seedlings shortly after planting. Michigan and Minnesota are also included on the label. Both liquid and dry powder formulations have been approved. The emergency exemption label (Section 18) is effective November 27, 2006 through July 30, 2007.
Avitec™ has the active ingredient 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. Last spring, a crisis exemption was granted by U.S. EPA and WI DATCP for Avitec corn seed treatment. Although both liquid and dry powder formulations were labeled in 2006, only the dry powder formulation reached the market last season as the liquid corn seed treatment window had passed. In 2007, a Section 18 has been granted with a timing that allows seed retailers to apply the liquid formulation to corn seed.
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 Avitec™ 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. 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 Avitec™ planter box seed treatment. As with any pesticide (RUP or non-RUP), commercial applicators are required to be certified regardless of formulation. Growers purchasing Avitec™ are not currently 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 Avitec™ sales to the county and township level through 2007 distribution channels.
For more information on obtaining Avitec™ in Wisconsin, please call the manufacturer Arkion at 1-800-468-6324 or visit their website for technical updates and application recommendations www.arkionls.com .You can also contact your local agricultural supplier for Wisconsin distribution information. Below is a complete list of contacts for more information on the use of Avitec™ during the 2007 season.
In addition, an educational breakout session on sandhill crane feeding behavior in agricultural fields, and Avitec™ liquid versus dry powder formulations will be held February 1st, 2007 during the 2007 Wisconsin Corn Soy Expo in the Wisconsin Dells http://www.wicorn.org/index.aspx?mid=48324. Members of the project team below will be present for the session, along with the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association.
Arkion Life Sciences LLC.
Wilmington, DE
Contact: Ken Ballinger; 1-800-468-6324, Ken.ballinger@airepel.com
International Crane Foundation
Baraboo, WI
1-608-356-9462 Contact: Jeb Barzen (Director of Field Ecology) ext. 125, jeb@savingcranes.org
or Anne Lacy (Field Ecology Department), Ext. 146, anne@savingcranes.org
University of Wisconsin Entomology Department
Madison, WI
Contact: Eileen Cullen, Extension Specialist, 1-608-261-1507; cullen@entomology.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin-Extension Jefferson County
Contact: Tim Bender, Crops and Soils Agent; (920) 674-7295; tim.bender@ces.uwex.edu