Find tips on optimizing OTC injections from Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech.

We have shared a number of the Q & A articles run on Citrus Industry that feature Tom Johnson, the owner of TJ BioTech, which manufactures the OTC injections, concerning Oxytetracycline (OTC) injections. The latest that we bring you concerns tips to optimize OTC injections. See the details below.

Optimize OTC Injections

In the Q&A article, Johnson said this:

Q: “What is the proper way to handle and inject ReMedium TI® to get the most value from the product?”

A-Tom Johnson: “Because purity matters, it is important to purchase a trunk-injection product for HLB control in citrus that has high quality. To protect the value of that investment, it is essential to take steps to safeguard the integrity of a high-value product. Consider the following points:

  1. When preparing the acidified mixture for injection, be sure to follow the label mixing instructions. Take care to use pure water. Impurities in the water can create mixing and intake problems for the injection mixture. To be certain of purity, use reverse osmosis or distilled water.
  2. Ultra violet (UV) light is known to be destructive to oxytetracycline (OTC) chemistry. FLexInject® injectors contain UV protection in both the outer shell and in the internal elastic. This feature protects the OTC from degrading while the injection is taking place in direct sunlight.
  3. Heat in excess of 100 degrees is also known to be destructive to OTC chemistry. FLexInject® injectors are semitransparent and designed to help create a dead air space that can keep the temperature in the device from rising rapidly. The quicker the injection is made, the better. Fast injection time helps protect the product chemistry. In the absence of some level of protection from direct sunlight, the product in the injector will likely rise above 100 degrees very quickly.
  4. Homemade injectors are typically not suitable to provide the essential safeguards to get the most value from a ReMedium TI® trunk injection.”

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