Chemical insecticides can be applied to conventional and transgenic crops expressing insecticidal proteins. When conducting a pest management program, it is important to take into account IRM considerations for both the transgenic trait (i.e. refuge adoption) and the chemistries being employed (both foliar applied and seed treatments). The IRAC Statement lists the key factors that should be considered when assessing the IRM value of applying the chemical insecticide.
IRAC held their 49th International Spring Meeting at the Hamner Conference Center, Research Triangle Park, NC hosted by BASF and Bayer CropScience on 17-20 March 2014. There were 9 sessions held over the 4 days including various working group planning meetings, a meeting of the IRAC Executive, and an “International Day” with four invited guest speakers. Presentations from the ‘International Day’ can be found on the IRAC website Resources Page by filtering for Spring Meeting 2014. In addition to the normal topics it was also a celebration of the 30th anniversary since the formation of IRAC in 1984.
The IRAC International Plant Biotechnology Committee has just published two position papers for insect resistance management in transgenic crops. The papers, available on the IRAC website, are titled: “Seed Blends for Resistance Management of Insect-Protected Transgenic Crops” and “IRM for Transgenic Crops in Small-Holder Agricultural Systems”
IRAC held their 48th International Spring Meeting at Syngenta’s Research Centre in the UK on 18-22 March 2013. There were 12 session held over the 5 days including various working group planning meetings, a meeting of the IRAC Executive, and an “International Day’ with a session of guest speakers covering different aspects of resistance and resistance management. Presentations from the ‘International Day’ can be found on the IRAC website Resources Page and by filtering for Spring Meeting 2013
IRAC, in consultation with its Executive member companies and representatives, have developed a general one-page position statement that presents the IRAC view on the use of mixtures and their relevance to insecticide resistance management. This includes the crop and public health sectors but more specific guidance, relevant to each area, will be developed over time using the position statement as a starting point. Copies of the IRAC Position Statement can be download via this link or from links found on a number of the team pages (Executive, Crop, Public Health and Biotech).