FORCE® 20CS provides strong early season protection against all species of wireworms, optimizing crop establishment. FORCE® delivers excellent seed safety and high flexibility to combine with other seed treatments.
| Additional brands | FORCE® 20CS, FORCE® Zea, AUSTRAL® Plus, CRUISER® Force |
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| Active ingredient | Tefluthrin is a synthetic pyrethroid; its chemical structure resembles the naturally occurring insecticide pyrethrin. It was designed to be effective against soil pests |
| Mode of action | Synthetic pyrethroids (SP) and tefluthrin in particular are chemically modified and optimized molecules resulting as derivatives from naturally occurring Pyrethrum and belong to the MoA group 3 (IRAC classification). As such, SPs interfere with the sodium transport in insect nerve cells. At the physiological level, SPs lead to a closure of voltage-gated sodium channels in membranes at the axon ends. When the SP keeps the channels open, the nerves cannot be “reset”, leading to permanent depolarization. This leads to a feeding stop and paralyzation of the target pest |
| Targets | Soil dwelling insect/arthropod pests such as corn rootworm (larvae only), wireworm, white grubs, seedcorn maggots, some cutworms (during the infestation phase, when they attack seedlings very close to the ground), springtails, Symphylids (centipedes), millipedes, pygmy beetle |
| Main crops | Corn, wheat, barley, triticale, oats, rye, sorghum, sunflower, sugarbeet (and fodder beet), vegetables (such as chicory, beans, peas, peppers), potato, grasses and lupine |
| Geography | Registered in most EAME countries across wide range of crops; sugarbeet registration in the US; and mainly vegetables in Australia, Japan, and S. Korea |
| Date of first launch | 1993 |
| Advantages and main benefits | The active ingredient of FORCE® 20CS seed treatment, tefluthrin, expresses a strong vapor pressure (unique level of vapor amongst all SPs) in the soil. Therefore, it spreads in the soil and penetrates the insect’s cuticle, causing a fast feeding stop and death. In addition, tefluthrin has a strong repellence effect, giving additional protection to seedlings and even helping repel birds. In combination with systemic insecticides such as CRUISER®, tefluthrin is a comprehensive offer for both underground and above ground feeders |