April 2020 - 18

BIOCONTROLS & BIOPESTICIDES
SPEAR
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
The first commericially available product
available was Spear-T, which is largely for
greenhouse use.
" We use a topical dose of the Spear
peptide that diffuses through the spiracles
and thereby able to reach the active sites in
the insects, " Peck said. " The other way to
get this active molecule to the active sites
is to get it in via ingestion. That's really
opened up a whole new world because
when we discovered that, in combination
with a fairly low dose of Bt, in this case a
lepidopteran active Bt caterpillar active,
disrupts the mid-gut enough so that this
peptide, when it's ingested at the same
time, it can hit those target sites.
" This is actually a synergy, " he said.
" Relatively low rates of both of them
perform a lot better than if you would just
add them up on how they would kill alone.
So that synergy allows lower use of rates
outdoors, and a low level rate of the Bt.
Peck said the peptides are " very targetsite
specific. We are classified by the EPA
as a biopesticide, but unlike some of the
biochemical and bicromial insecticides
that are out there, we have very targeted
site specificity. "
In November 2018, IRAC, which sets
the different modes of action, determined
that Spear was going to be introduced and
classified as a new IRAC group.
" This means that this product can now
be used to help with insecticide resistance
management because three's not an
insect out there that's resistant to it, and
it is cross-resistant to any other active
ingredient that we have out there. That was
when the company shifted over and moved
to full commercialization. The next peptide
in our pipeline we will be developing will
have another IRAC group.
" What we're seeing now is the
development of a whole new kind of
chemistry that is not a synthetic chemical, "
Peck said. " It's a modified biologically
based component that has a very good
safety profile. We like to advertise that we
have the safety of the biologicals but the
performance of the synthetics. "
Some pest targets
" As we move toward full
commercialization we're realizing there
are some gaps in what we know about it
and we're doing a lot of field development
last year and this year, " Peck said. " In
the field vegetable area, we've gotten a
lot of data that's proven (Spear-Lep's)
performance in various systems such as
diamondback moths in brassicas and
collards, and other crucifers against any
other kinds of lepidopteran pests out there.
It's probably very broad spectrum and can
impact about every kind of lepidopteran
species that might be out there if you can
get good coverage of the plant surface so
the pest will ingest it. "
Peck said the product " also has a
very good safety profile for natural
enemies because it's only going to impact
lepidopteran species'. It won't impact
parasitoids or lady bird beetles or lace
wings or pollinators. It's also a product
that can be used if you're worried about
impacting natural enemies out there. "
Worm damage in cabbage identified as
part of a field trial.
" If you're worried about resistance
management - and you're going to rotate
your modes of action - this would be a
product to incorporate. It's a product that
also has no residues It's MRL (maximum
residue level) exempt so the residues are
not relevant so it can be sprayed right up
until the time of harvest. It's got all of the
things that you're familiar with as far as the
safety features of a biological but has the
versatility of a conventional.
" It's pretty amazing what has happened
in the last three years and where it's at
now, " Peck said. " It's really something. "
" We see it improving our sustainability
and land stewardship and such, " Peck
said. " We know that this kind of active
ingredient is really going to improve
sustainable crop protection. Sustainability
in that sense means putting into practice
pest management techniques and
approaches that are going to reduce the
negative consequences of pesticide use,
environmental and social economics.
One way to do that is to protect from the
development of pesticide resistance. "
Peck said Spear-Lep can be put into
the mix and the application rotation
" so this product also can increase the
lifespan of some other conventional
products that are very important tools.
It's a product and an approach that will
help other active ingredients, as well. The
other sustainability part about this is the
safety profile is so good that it will just
reduce the risk to humans, non-targets
and to the environment. " VGN
18 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
April 2020

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