SePRO Corp. announced that it will introduce new Preferal Biological Insecticide to the U.S. commercial greenhouse, nursery and landscape markets. Preferal is a biological insecticide containing blastospores of a naturally-occurring strain of the fungus Isaria fumosoroseus which has demonstrated very good control of whitefly, aphid, thrips and spider mites. Dr. Lance S. Osborne, with the University of Florida, isolated Isaria fumosoroseus. Certis USA, which licensed the technology from the University of Florida, has entered into a marketing and supply agreement with SePRO to market and further develop Isaria fumosoroseus in the U.S. greenhouse, nursery, landscape and turf markets.
Preferal is being used successfully by European growers today in Integrated Pest Management programs to provide excellent control of all life stages of whitefly. Preferal is formulated as a water dispersible granule that is mixed with water and applied as a spray. Spores of Preferal then attach and penetrate the cuticle of targeted insect pests. The fungus grows inside the insect, causing its death. Under favorable environmental conditions, the fungus will emerge from killed insects to re-release more viable spores to sustain further infections in other insects.