iCORN offers Poncho 250 and Poncho 1250 seed applied insecticide

We will be offering both Poncho 250 and Poncho 1250 to our customers this year as a seed applied insecticide option. These products represent a new generation chemistry that will help control or suppress a large number of insects. For in-depth detailed information on Poncho please click here to look at Bayer's website which includes field testing data. I would like to spend a few minutes to give you my thoughts and opinions on where these products might fit and the strengths and weaknesses of each.

For a list of what seed treatments are currently available, click here.

 

Poncho 250

We are excited to offer this new seed treatment for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is the increased seed and seedling insect protection provided. Secondly but still very significant, is the addition of a new systemic fungicide called Trilex which will provide a new level of fungicidal protection for seedling diseases. For those of you who no-till, plant early, or farm heavier clay type soils, I think Trilex is a very attractive option.

We have chosen to move to the higher rate of .25 mg a.i. per seed. This is twice the active ingredient that was offered in the past. The reason we have chosen to move this direction is we felt it important to provide the maximum protection possible. Poncho 250 will come at no additional charge on all iCORN hybrids.

Poncho 250 provides early season systemic protection against a variety of seedling insects. According to information provided by Bayer, Poncho 250 protects both seed and seedling from wireworm, white grub, seed corn maggot, flea beetle, and grape colaspis. Their label also claims control of cutworm. Should you need to spray in case of a heavy cutworm infestation, a $4 spray protection option is provided (you must use Bayer insecticide products). This product is targeted at those of you who are using a planter box insecticide treatment or those who include an insecticide in your burndown program targeted at black cutworm. For those who use a soil applied insecticide for Grub or Wireworm control but hate handling the insecticide, this is a great alternative. Click here to see a list of hybrids and grade sizes that are available with Poncho 250.

Here is my take. This product will do an excellent job on most of the seedling insects and protect the young seedling. It is a much superior option to planter box treatments. As we all know, things in nature tend to work differently than how we think they will. If you use Poncho Pak does that mean cutworm will not be a problem in your field? NO it does not and here's why I say that, what happens if the larvae feeding on your seedling is a large fourth instar larvae that feeds on your corn seedling and then eats on a weed in the field then returns to munch on your corn? I don't know for sure and I'm not sure anyone else does either. What happens if you plant real early and then it turns off wet and cold and emergence is delayed 24 days and then a heavy black cutworm moth flight comes up from the south? Probably this technology will not live up to your expectations. Also I would caution on Grub control. Anyone who has been around long enough knows that grubs are a tough nut and they can be voracious root feeders.

I guess what I am saying is that this is a good product that has the potential to be oversold on promises. I have seen insecticides fail on cutworm and grubs before so my guess I am sure that Poncho 250 will fail as well. If you typically plant early (or when you plant a field early), if you are in continuous no-till and annually deal with wireworms, if you apply livestock manure to a field or you are bringing set aside ground back into production this is a great choice. There are also some smaller rooted hybrids that I think would really benefit from having Poncho 250 come with them. Bayer data indicates about a 5 bushel per acre advantage when using this product.

 

Poncho 1250

This is the high rate (1.25 mg a.i. per seed) that controls all the above insects but also targets corn rootworm. This product will cost $48 per unit and is also non returnable. Poncho 1250 targets the traditional soil insecticide market. One target market for Poncho 1250 is the required 20% refuge for those planting YieldGard Rootworm hybrids. Click here to see a list of hybrids and grade sizes that are available with Poncho 1250.

We have chosen Poncho 1250 for our high rate option because we believe it provides the best protection at the higher rates when targeting Rootworm.

Here is my take. Although this product claims rootworm control I guess I would inject a note of caution into the mix. I think if you have low to moderate levels of rootworm feeding year in and year out (assuming you check of course) then this product should do an acceptable job. If you annually deal with heavy infestations and have serious problems then I think some things need to be considered. Under heavy pressure does your insecticide ever fail? If you answered yes then I think it's safe to say that Poncho 1250 has the same capacity to fall short of your expectations. If your soil insecticides give you good control 85-90% of the time then I think you should probably expect the same from Poncho 1250. I absolutely believe that Poncho 1250 will give as good or better rootworm control that some soil insecticides offer (Regent and Lorsban for example). Will it be as consistently strong as some of the synthetic pyrethroids like Aztec or Force? Maybe or maybe not, my guess is not.

The bottom line with Poncho 1250 is that it is probably a pretty good option for your YieldGard Rootworm refuge acres. Will it provide as good as control as the YieldGard hybrid or some insecticides? Probably not, but it will provide pretty good protection. Is it a better choice than YieldGard Rootworm hybrids? Not by a long shot in my opinion, but it doesn't have to be channeled either. Does it replace a soil insecticide? Don't know, but my guess is that a couple of years down the road, soil insecticides won't cost what they do now. Poncho 1250 is a good product, if I was purchasing a planter or planned on doing so down the road, I would certainly try it to compare to insecticides to see if I might not need those boxes on my next planter