Protecting grain from mites and pests until prices recover
Following a late harvest and lower grain prices, cereal and oilseed rape growers should be proactive in preventing insect pest and mite damage in store and maybe prolong storage until prices recover. If this is the case and the warm conditions continue, growers need to focus on storage conditions and risks and be prepared to treat with Silico-Sec before pests and mites spoil the grain. The investment in growing the crop in what has been a long and challenging year with extreme weather conditions must be protected once in store, as further losses will erode returns, reminds Interfarm UK Ltd.
“Prevention is always better than cure. Storage pests cause direct damage to grain and create conditions in which fungal growth can occur, which adversely affects quality and returns. Grain harvested and stored with a high moisture content can exacerbate the problem. Lower cereal and rape seed prices may influence what growers want to do and some may want to keep their harvested grain in store until prices improve,” says Stewart Woodhead, newly appointed Technical Manager for Interfarm UK Ltd.
“Silico-Sec is an effective preventative treatment to protect harvested cereal grain and oilseed rape seed from infestations. Consisting of highly micronised specific amorphous silica (silicon dioxide), Silico-Sec abrades and damages the cuticles of insects and mites, removing the water-proofing waxes, resulting in desiccation and death of the pests. Because it is a biophysical product, it controls any exo-skeletal pest, including grain weevils, saw-toothed grain beetles, red-rust flour beetles, cosmopolitan food mites and flour mites. Not all grain treatments control mites, but Silico-Sec will control all grain pests and all mites. Importantly the abrading mechanism of action means that there are no resistance or residue issues.”
“As a treatment to stored grain, Silico-Sec is applied to the grain surface, either as a low cost preventative treatment at a rate of 200g/m² or as a localised curative application at the rate of 600g/m², depending on the extent of the problem. It should be applied to the surface of stored grains after the heat and moisture content have been reduced within the HGCA guidelines and then worked into the top 30 cms with a rake,” Stewart advises.
“Most infestations are found in surface layers of grain piles, where insect pests move and access oxygen more easily. Surface layer treatments can be effective in both prevention and cure of pest infestations. But this is only the case when used as part of an integrated strategy for grain store management, together with temperature and moisture control.”
“Silico-Sec is a natural, non-toxic alternative to conventional chemical treatments and it is recommended in both conventional and organic farming systems. It has the advantage of no withholding intervals nor any restrictions to certain crop types. It is approved for use under the Organic Farmers and Growers Approved Inputs Scheme,” adds Stewart.
Silico-Sec contains up to 96% micronized inert silicon dioxide as a high specification food grade powder derived from diatomaceous earth by a special process. It can be used on feed wheat, barley and oilseed rape for the control and prevention of invertebrate pests such as mites, weevils and beetles, as part of an integrated storage management strategy. For milling wheat, growers should check with their grain merchant. There are now fewer products for use on oilseed rape and Silico-Sec is an ideal product for this purpose. It has both protectant and curative activity. It is packed in 15-kg bags and is available exclusively from Interfarm distributors.
