Methods for improving control of insects and related compositions
Controlling insect damage in a plant. In one embodiment, the methods include applying insecticide and at least one fertilizer in-furrow at planting. In particular examples, methods of controlling cutworms in corn include applying tefluthrin and at least one pop-up fertilizer in-furrow at planting.
1. A method of controlling insect damage in a corn plant, the method comprising:
applying, at planting ±5 days, an insecticidal composition comprising:
a tefluthrin insecticide; and
about w/30% of a pop-up fertilizer,
wherein the pop-up fertilizer is an N:P:K ratio fertilizer, wherein N is about 6, P is about 24, and K is about 6, and
wherein the insect damage is damage from a rootworm.
2. The method of claim 1 , further including forming the tefluthrin insecticide and the pop-up fertilizer into an insecticidal composition prior to applying the composition, wherein forming includes:
depositing the tefluthrin insecticide, in liquid form, into a first reservoir;
depositing the pop-up fertilizer, in liquid form, into a second reservoir; and
pumping to a mixing chamber the tefluthrin insecticide and the fertilizer, thereby forming the insecticidal composition, prior to application.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tefluthrin insecticide further includes at least one phosphated arylphenol alkoxylate surfactant having an average degree of alkoxylation of from 4-8; and at least one alkylamine alkoxylate surfactant having an average degree of alkoxylation of from 2-12.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tefluthrin insecticide in the first reservoir is an insecticidal composition.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying is on the same day as planting.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying is in the same pass as planting.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the applying is in-furrow.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tefluthrin insecticide (AI) is applied in the range of about 0.1 lb AI/acre to about 0.3 lb AI/acre.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pop-up fertilizer is applied in the range of about 3 lb nutrients/acre to about 50 lb nutrients/acre.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tefluthrin insecticide and the pop-up fertilizer are applied in a weight ratio in the range of 1:30 to 1:500.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the tefluthrin insecticide to the pop-up fertilizer is applied in a ratio of 0.01:15 to 0.01:30.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises about 25 to 400 ppm of tefluthrin.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises 30% of the pop-up fertilizer and the N:P:K fertilizer is 6:24:6.
14. A method of controlling rootworms in corn, the method comprising:
applying, in-furrow at planting, an insecticide composition comprising
tefluthrin; and
about w/30% of a pop-up fertilizer having an N:P:K ratio, wherein
N is about 6;
P is about 24; and
K is about 6.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the insecticide composition is formed in the same pass as application, wherein forming includes
pumping the tefluthrin from a first reservoir to a mixing chamber, and
pumping the fertilizer from a second reservoir to the mixing chamber, thereby forming the insecticide composition.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the composition comprises about 25 to 400 ppm of tefluthrin.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the composition comprises 30% of the pop-up fertilizer and the N:P:K fertilizer is 6:24:6.