Fall
2015
grainswest.com
9
BY GRIFFIN ELLIOT
NEW RESEARCH OUT OF MONTANA
State University (MSU) shows that
Thimet, a pesticide previously banned in
Canada, can be more effective at con-
trolling wheat-destroying pests if applied
differently.
Thimet, a product made by the Amvac
Chemical Corporation, is an organophos-
phate pesticide that can be used to control
wheat-stem sawfly infestations. The wasp-
like insects destroy wheat stalks from the
inside out.
David Weaver, a Canadian professor of
entomology at MSU, is involved in the new
Thimet research. He said that, based on
his team’s findings, a grower can “boost
the activity of Thimet by decreasing the
time window that passes between when
the product is taken up and when the
wheat-stem sawfly adults infest the wheat.”
In May 2004, Health Canada’s Pest
Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)
decided to phase out the sale and use of
Thimet 15-G, “based on risks to birds,
mammals and aquatic organisms from
exposure to the granular product.”
The PMRA set a deadline of May 1,
2015, for the last sale of Thimet 15-G by
distributors and retailers, and a deadline
of Aug. 1, 2015, for its last use by growers.
In Canada, Thimet 15-G was primarily
used to reduce wireworm damage in pota-
to crops, and the ban has left many potato
growers scrambling to find alternatives for
wireworm control.
“For most of the targeted pests, there
were better products to use and, specifi-
cally, Thimet is an older organophosphate.
It happens to be very systemic, which is
why that activity works against wheat-
stem sawfly larvae,” Weaver said. “It’s a
restricted-use [product] because of [its]
high oral, dermal and inhalation toxicity.”
The research Weaver is involved in
shows that if Thimet is applied to crops
post-emergence, one inch below the soil
surface, the wheat stalks have enough
time to take up the chemical and expel
it by harvest. This can be accomplished
within the legally established and labelled
pre-harvest interval of 85 days or more.
Since Thimet 15-G was banned in
Canada, Amvac has come out with a new
formulation of the pesticide called Thimet
20-G. According to Weaver, the only
difference is a higher concentration in the
granules. Thimet 20-G allows farmers to
apply at a rate of five pounds of product
per acre, the existing legal tolerance for
wheat. For large crop areas, the higher
amount of active ingredient per pound is
an asset to growers.
Weaver said historical Thimet trials
might have also shown that the product
may be successful in controlling wire-
worm and spiral nematodes, but more
research will have to be done into the
effects of this use. Due to the timing of
activity of key wheat stem sawfly biologi-
cal control agents, there is no evidence of
any negative direct effects on parasitoids
that attack large wheat-stem sawfly larvae.
A former graduate student at MSU who
tested the product on his own wheat crops
spurred the new look into the pesticide.
Weaver explained that the effects of
wheat-stem sawfly infestations are much
more detrimental for growers in Montana
than for those in Western Canada. On
the Canadian Prairies, wheat stem sawfly
numbers have declined since the
early-2000s. The decline is likely the
result of fluctuating weather patterns,
growing natural enemy populations and
the use of diverse crop rotations.
Amvac has submitted an application to
the PMRA for Thimet 20-G to be ap-
proved for use in Canada, as well as an ap-
plication for the reinstatement of Thimet
15-G. Grower groups, such as the Prince
Edward Island Potato Board, support the
reinstatement of Thimet 15-G.
“SALIC’s status as [a] shareholder
comes with no obligation for our compa-
ny to market grain to the Middle East.
Having said that, the Middle East is an
excellent consumer market for Canadi-
an grain,” said Gerrand. “I don’t think
Canada has been well positioned for
that market until now, and I expect the
opportunities will increase as a result of
their investment.”
The opportunities are particularly
strong for Canadian barley growers. Saudi
Arabia is the largest barley importer in the
world, importing 7.5 million tons of feed
barley in 2014, according to the United
States Department of Agriculture’s For-
eign Agricultural Service.
“This is the No. 1 market in the world,
and it’s all feed barley. The Canadian
industry thinks it has to be a malt barley
or specialty barley to export, but we have
a huge opportunity to just sell barley that
is functional for animal feed,” said Rogers,
adding that the Saudi demand for barley
is tied to the feed demands of Almarai
Dairy, as well as a growing processing
sector to serve the Gulf region.
“Growers apply different inputs to feed
barley, so they might not have a higher
price, but they can actually make a better
margin,” she added.
Prairie grain farmers have been watch-
ing the transition closely, and are optimis-
tic about G3’s entry into the Canadian grain
market as well as the investments they are
making, particularly in Western Canada.
“I think the opportunities are going
to get better as time goes on,” said Gary
Stanford, a director on the Alberta Wheat
Commission, and president of the Grain
Growers of Canada. “Saudi Arabia will
have some real opportunities to start mov-
ing more Canadian grain that way, even
feed grains.
“The new export terminal will create
another opportunity to get more grain out
of Western Canada, and the new termi-
nals planned for Alberta means Alberta
grain farmers will be able to capitalize on
more markets as well as the equity that
us farmers have put into CWB over the
years,” he added.
THIMETGETSSECONDLOOK
