Magnet
Label
MSDS 
Technical information
Registered crops: Cotton, Green beans, Sweetcorn
Pack sizes: 20 L, 200 L
Helicoverpa armigera moth feeding
on a Magnet deposit
Magnet is a revolutionary new product for the control of Helicoverpa spp. moths, developed by researchers from the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC at the University of New England, Armidale. Using their understanding of moth behaviour, the researchers developed Magnet – a blend of 6 plant volatiles and feeding stimulants that mimic the type of odours that moths use to find nectar rich flowers. Moths use nectar as an energy source to enable them move around the environment, however crop monocultures that are suitable hosts for Helicoverpa larvae are often not good sources of nectar.
The volatile blend in Magnet attracts moths to treated strips in the crop where the feeding stimulants cause them to feed on the Magnet deposits. The deposits contain a toxicant (a registered insecticide added just prior to mixing – see label) that kills feeding moths. Magnet provides moth control for 4 to 6 days and provides up to 95% reduction in moth numbers. This reduction in numbers results in a similar reduction in egg lay and subsequent larval numbers.
Magnet is best used on a pre-emptive schedule, as predicting moth activity and spikes in egg lay is difficult in practice. Used this way, Magnet provides cost effective ongoing suppression of Helicoverpa. When used as a knockdown product, Magnet is best used at a higher rate to provide fast suppression of egg lay, with a minimum of two applications. See the label and technical manual for full details.
Features and Benefits
| Feature | Benefit | |
|---|---|---|
| Targets the adult stage (moths) |  |
Controls the pest before eggs are laid |
| Applied to less than 2% of the crop | |
Low environmental impact and low application cost |
| Kills a high proportion of moths in the treated area | |
70 to 90% reduction in egg numbers |
| Effective for 4 to 6 days | |
Ongoing reduction in moth numbers |
| Treated areas act as moth "sinks" | |
Area wide impact on pest pressure |
| Nil or negligible impact on beneficial species | |
Will not flare secondary pests and suitable for IPM systems |
