Biopesticides for use in greenhouses in the U.S.

Heidi Lindberg<wollaege@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension and Steven Arthurs, Texas A & M University - June 22, 2017

There are 40 registered biopesticide active ingredients for use in greenhouses in the U.S.

In Part 1 of this article, “What is a biopesticide?” we reviewed the three categories of biopesticides in the U.S.: biochemical, microbials and plant-incorporated protectants. There are 299 biopesticide active ingredients registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but only 40 of those are labeled for use in greenhouses (see table at the end).

The table includes the active ingredients of registered biopesticides (excluding plant growth regulators) for greenhouse use in the U.S., classification as either microbial or biochemical, re-entry interval, pre-harvest interval, organic status and target pests.

According to our list, 32 of those contain biochemicals and 26 of those contain microbial materials. Seventy-six percent of these biopesticides have a 4-hour re-entry interval or less and 55 percent are labeled for organic production.

Keys to success

Although biopesticides have several advantages, they generally do not work as quickly as chemical pesticides. They are generally used where pest prevention or suppression is emphasized and often in combination with other approaches.

The following tips might help growers who are considering using biopesticides to manage insects or disease pests in their operations.

Start clean. Practice good plant hygiene, use clean media and inspect and remove contaminated plant materials coming into your operation. Use biopesticides early in the pest cycle or preventatively based on the label.
Rotate. Rotate biopesticides with conventional products to provide additional modes of action, control multiple pests and limit pests’ ability to develop resistance. Tank-mix products as needed.
Select the right product. Follow label instructions, use registered products to prevent legal problems and consult with agrochemical representatives and distributers, Michigan State University Extension personnel and others experienced with horticultural pest management.

Following these guidelines will help greenhouse growers manage pests while meeting demands for ornamental and edible crops with reduced pesticide residue.

Biopesticides for greenhouse use in the United States
Trade name(s)	Active ingredient (strain)	Type*	REI (hr)	Target(s)
Stirrup-M	Farnesol	Biochemical	0	Tetranychid mites
Dominus	Allyl isothiocyanate	Biochemical	n/a**	Broad spectrum soil biofumigant
Axxe	Ammonium nonanoate	Biochemical	24	Broad spectrum herbicide
Agroneem, AzaGuard, Azatrol	Azadirachtin	Biochemical	4	Broad spectrum insecticide, nematicide
Azera	Azadirachtin + pyrethrins	Biochemical	12	Broad spectrum insecticide, nematicide
Sonata	Bacillus pumilis (QST 2808)	Microbial	4	Broad-spectrum fungicide
Cease, Companion, Serenade	Bacillus subtilis (QST 713, GB03, MBI 600)	Microbial	0-4	Broad-spectrum fungicide
beetleGONE!	Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae	Microbial	4	Beetles
Agree WG	B. thuringiensis aizawai (GC-91)	Microbial	4	Caterpillars
Biobit, DiPel, Condor,Crymax	B. thuringiensis kurstaki (ABTS-351, EG2348)	Microbial	4	Caterpillars
BMP 144/ Aquabac	B. thuringiensis israelensis BMP 144	Microbial	0	Mosquitoes
Botanigard, BioCeres, Naturalis	Beauveria bassiana (GHA, ATCC 74040)	Microbial	4	Whiteflies, aphids, thrips, plant bugs, some beetles
Vegol	Canola oil	Biochemical	4	Broad spectrum insecticide
Dazitol	Capsaicin and related capsaicinoids	Biochemical	4	Broad spectrum insecticide, nematicide and fungicide
Clandosan	Chitin	Biochemical	4	Nematicide
EF400	Clove, rosemary, peppermint	Biochemical	0	Broad spectrum fungicide
Contans WG	Coniothyrium minitans (CON/M/91-08)	Microbial	4	Fungicide (Sclerotinia spp.)
Badge X2	Copper hydroxide + copper oxychloride	Biochemical **	24 GH	Broad spectrum fungicide and bactericide
Cueva	Copper octanoate	Biochemical *	4	Broad spectrum fungicide and bactericide
SoilGard	Gliocladium virens (GL-21)	Microbial	0	Preventative fungicide
Spear	GS-omega/kappa-Hxtx-Hv1a	Biochemical	4	Thrips, whitefly, spider mites
Messenger T&O, ProAct	Harpin proteins	Biochemical	4	N/A (plant health promoter)
Peradigm	Hydrogen peroxide	Biochemical **	0-2	Algicide and fungicide
Sluggo	Iron phosphate	Biochemical **	0	Molluscicide
Feather Duster	Lemongrass oil	Biochemical	0	Bird repellent
PFR-97	Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Apopka 97)	Microbial	4	Whiteflies, aphids, thrips, leafminers
Scythe	Pelargonic acid	Biochemical	12	Broad spectrum herbicide
Armicarb, Kaligreen	Potassium bicarbonate	Biochemical **	4	Broad spectrum foliar fungicide
Des-X	Potassium salts of fatty acids	Biochemical	12	Broad spectrum foliar insecticide
Sil-MATRIX	Potassium silicate	Biochemical	4	Broad spectrum fungicide, miticide, insecticide
Acaritouch	Propyleneglycol monolaurate	Biochemical	4	Tetranychid mites
AtEze	Pseudomonas chlororaphis (63-28)	Microbial	24	Preventative fungicide
PyGanic	Pyrethrins	Biochemical	12	Broad spectrum insecticide
Sporatec	Rosemary, thyme, and clove oils	Biochemical	0	Broad spectrum fungicide
Enstar	S-Kinoprene	Biochemical **	4	Broad spectrum insecticide
Avachem	Sorbitol octanoate	Biochemical	24	Insecticide/miticide
Golden Pest Spray Oil	Soybean oil	Biochemical	4	Mites, scale, whiteflies, mealybugs
Entrust, Seduce	Spinosad	Microbial	4	Caterpillars, leafminers, thrips and red imported fire ants
Actinovate SP	Streptomyces lydicus (WYEC 108)	Microbial	1	Broad spectrum fungicide
SucraShield	Sucrose octanoate	Biochemical	48	Insecticide/miticide
BacStop	Thyme, clove, cinnamon, peppermint, and garlic oils	Biochemical	0	Bactericide, fungicide
PlantShield, RootShield	Trichoderma harzianum, (Riafi strain KRL-AG2, G-41)	Microbial	0-4	Preventative fungicide
Spexit	Spodoptera exigua multinucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) strain by BV-0004	Microbial	4	Beet armyworm
Helicovex	Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus strain BV-0003	Microbial	4	Corn earworm