Florida citrus growers made their desire known for the return of aldicarb, an insecticide that targets many insects, even possibly the Asian citrus psyllid.
Florida citrus growers attending an October grower meeting in a grove in Frostproof voiced their desire for the registration of aldicarb, an insecticide that used to be allowed for use in Florida citrus but was canceled by the EPA in 2011. EPA representatives also attended the meeting. Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) director of science and regulatory affairs, Mike Aerts, shared the discussion points in a Citrus Industry article. Read the details below.
Aldicarb and Citrus
Aerts maintained the meeting was “to establish and solidify communication bridges between the citrus industry and our regulatory partners.” Growers discussed the benefits of the use of aldicarb, such as the pests it could control, as its ability to improve tree vigor; “The management opportunities of the product well beyond the Asian citrus psyllid were brought out, such as the material’s capabilities in managing multiple species of nematodes, rust mites, mealybugs, etc., and the product’s historical abilities to increase various tree vigor components were noted as well,” Aerts said in the article.
Aerts asserted that there would be a stewardship program included that would minimize risk. “Also discussed were things such as the specifics of the Florida aldicarb rule and the stewardship program that would automatically accompany any citrus registration. The planned stewardship program would include all the components of the previous Temik stewardship program, plus some additional safeties such as an increase in the distance between wellheads and where the application would actually take place. Stewardship discussions also touched on things such as the planned approaches with the product in ways that minimize and prevent off-site movement and non-target exposure, and increased safety to workers, pollinators, birds, animals, other wildlife, the environment, etc.,” Aerts said in the article.
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