Growers can now use Agri-Mek SC miticide/insecticide for control of difficult-to-manage soybean pests like spider mites.

Hot, dry conditions during the flowering and early pod-fill growth stages can significantly hurt soybean yields and also favor increased populations of two-spotted spider mites.

According to Purdue University, dry conditions suppress naturally occurring fungi that could otherwise control spider mite populations. Warmer temperatures accelerate developmental times, allowing for spider mite populations to grow rapidly in soybeans.

“With Agri-Mek SC, soybean growers can prevent widespread crop damage due to spider mites,” says Meade McDonald, insecticide product lead at Syngenta. “Some problems can be unpredictable, but growers can feel at ease knowing they have control over other factors like yield-threatening pests.”

The active ingredient in Agri-Mek SC, abamectin, is locally systemic and provides protection against mobile forms of spider mites.

Upon application, abamectin penetrates the leaf and is rapidly absorbed into the leaf tissue, controlling mites on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces. This translaminar movement makes Agri-Mek SC rain-fast once dry and provides residual control that lasts up to 21 days.

Soybean growers have flexibility with Agri-Mek SC for ground or aerial applications. They can also tank mix Agri-Mek SC with Endigo ZC insecticide or other insecticides for broad-spectrum control of soybean pests.