Bayer CropScience announces the registration of Poncho®/VOTiVO” seed treatment for use on cotton. Following are quotes from the release statement. Note that this treatment is not a stand-alone for thrips control, but must be used in conjunction with an additional insecticide (e.g., Aeris, Gaucho, or other).

“To control early season insect pests such as thrips, aphids and others, Poncho/VOTiVO should be paired with additional seed-applied insecticides (Gaucho® or Aeris®) from Bayer CropScience.”

“Poncho/VOTiVO protects against damage from a broad range of nematode species, including reniform and root-knot. It provides a new biological mode of action that introduces revolutionary living-barrier science.”

“Employing a new biological mode of action with a unique bacteria strain that lives and grows with young roots, Poncho/VOTiVO creates a living barrier that grows with and protects early season seedlings and roots,” explained product development manager Louis Holloway. “The result means higher cotton yields through a healthier root system and a more vigorous and uniform crop.”

“According to the Cotton Disease Loss Estimate Committee, nematodes remain a major yield-reducing pest of cotton with more than 500,000 bales of yield potential lost to nematode damage in 2009. Poncho/VOTiVO protects against multiple types of nematodes, making it the perfect partner for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.”

For more information, contact your Bayer CropScience field representative or visit: http://www.bayercropscience.us/products/seed-treatments/poncho-votivo/