Exosect presents update on success of green technology

Exosect, a leading provider of Intelligent Pest Management solutions, today announced that it was recently invited to attend and present at Tesco’s annual Grower of the Year Conference and Awards. The conference is aimed at all of the UK top fruit supply base and attended by the technical and commercial staff of the marketing desks as well as a high proportion of Tesco’s top fruit growers. This year’s conference in May was the busiest ever with 86 conference delegates and 104 attendees at the awards dinner.

Martin de la Fuente, senior Buying Manager for fruit at Tesco hosted the multiple's now traditional conference and awards ceremony held in Kent. De la Fuente revealed that he had fulfilled the pledge made in 2005 to double Tesco's English apple sales in three years and acknowledged growers had made a major contribution in achieving his goal.

In addition to the retail discussions there was also a strong technical element to the conference with growers hearing the latest results of research from Dr Stephen Humphreys, food industry support manager for Bayer Crop Science and David Cary from Exosect talking about the success of the Exosex CM codling moth mating disruption system.

David Cary, Exosect’s Market Development Manager, delivered a presentation on the success of the Exosex CM Codling Moth mating disruption system to date and discussed the potential for the system to work with other pest species in both agricultural, and clothing and storage sectors.

Martin de la Fuente said, “Customers want safe, ethically produced food with a carbon footprint which is as low as possible. Increased regulation and auditing with minimal use of sprays (MRLs) are actually a benefit to UK growers because they are a barrier to imports without traceability.”

How Exosex CM works

Exosex CM requires only 25 dispensers per hectare each of which contain a synthetic female Codling moth pheromone, which is formulated with Exosect’s unique and natural Entostat powder. The system works by luring males into the dispensers using the female pheromone, once they enter the Entostat powder adheres strongly to the bodies of the male. The sensors of the coated moths are overwhelmed which means that they are unable to detect females, and therefore do not mate.  They also act as a false lure for other moths and the mating cycle is disrupted, resulting in fewer caterpillars emerging to cause apple and pear damage. The technique is simple and helps to reduce the use of chemical spraying.

Exosect’s innovative, environmentally friendly method of pest control, using patented Entostat powder technology assists growers, producers and processors achieve zero residues in their crops and foods to produce high quality food for the consumer. To date, Exosect’s pest management solutions have been registered and launched in a number of territories including the UK, US, South Africa, New Zealand, and Belgium, with further EU approvals expected in the near future.

Exosex CM is registered to date for commercial use in the UK the US, New Zealand and South Africa. Its has been granted organic status with IFOAM affiliated organic certification bodies, The Soil Association, Organic Farmers & Growers Ltd,OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) and BioGro New Zealand Ltd.