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HOUSTON, TEXAS,
November 13, 2003 – Decreased use of
insecticides and an accelerated re-entry time are two of
the major advantages of recent research findings that indicate
plants exhibit natural resistance to insects. Conducted at
the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Weslaco, in
conjunction with The Stoller Group, research using Satisfy® on
various plants and insects shows promise to growers looking
for ways to decrease the use of insecticides. Satisfy, a
natural plant growth enhancer, is produced and distributed
by The Stoller Group.
“Plants have a natural resistance to insects,” says
Sherry LeClere, Ph.D., Stoller Group Biosciences Department
Manager. “Over time, a combination of stresses on the
plant such as insects and disease will decrease the plant’s
productivity. This research indicates that when treated with
Satisfy, a plant can naturally improve its resistance to
such stresses.”
Satisfy contains a combination of natural
plant enhancers that exist in early plant development and
assist in the plant’s
natural resistance to insects and disease. The research conducted
at the experiment station in Weslaco shows auxin, the hormone
present in Satisfy, effectively controls onion thrips, two
spotted spider mites and turnip aphids.
“Auxin is normally abundant in the early stages of
plant development and is used for cell division and cell
expansion,” LeClere
explains. “Auxin is important in many aspects of plant
growth and response to environmental factors. The technology
we have discovered for applying Satisfy to plants apparently
allows the plant to maintain insect resistance during periods
of such stress.”
In two separate trials on onion plants,
there were less than half as many onion thrips on plants
that were treated with
Satisfy. The product controlled both adult and larval thrips.
The study indicates onion plants that were sprayed with
Satisfy can better resist the insect and improve overall
productivity.
When applied to melons infested with two-spotted spider
mites, more than 50 percent of the insects were controlled
when
the plant was treated with Satisfy. This is twice the number
of insects controlled by untreated plants.
“Growers are very familiar with the devastation caused
by spider mites,” says LeClere. “The insect will
suck the sap from the plant, depleting its natural sugar
source. This will inhibit the plant’s production and
allow for an increase in the spread of diseases.” Similar
findings were discovered when eggplants infested with the
two-spotted spider mite were treated with Satisfy.
Initial
results of a preliminary trial using Satisfy to assist
turnips in resisting turnip aphids also show great promise.
More than 95% of turnip aphids were controlled by Satisfy
on turnip plants in similar application methods.
The Stoller
Group is dedicated to ongoing research on crop health products
and technology. The company currently is
conducting research trials on various crops at the University
of Illinois, University of Wisconsin and University of
Nebraska. These trials show promising results in the application
of
crop health products.
The Stoller Group is the leader in crop health products
and technology. The company has applied for patents on
these
research discoveries and other crop management methods.
More than 30 years old, The Stoller Group has developed
numerous
products that assist the plant in developing and expressing
its natural ability to produce. Operating in the U.S. and
more than 50 countries, The Stoller Group is active in
research relating to plant health technologies. |
