Food/Protecting crops with Kaolin

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Food/Protecting crops with Kaolin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fair use/for research and education purposes only

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FARM SCENE: Mineral coating could cut chemical use By Associated Press, 11/3/2000 01:39 KEARNEYSVILLE, W.Va. (AP) Orchards, vineyards and even row crops someday could take on a ghostly appearance that would help protect from insects, diseases, sunburn and heat stress.

Agriculture Research Service scientists have covered fruit trees, vines and vegetable crops with a white, reflective coating of a specially processed type of clay called kaolin that protects the plants at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department's Agriculture Research magazine.

The research is being conducted by the agency and Engelhard Corp. of Iselin, N.J. The cooperative ''is producing kaolin-based products that could turn out to be among the most versatile agricultural products ever to hit the market,'' said Agriculture Research Service Administrator Floyd P. Horn. The agency is the USDA's research arm.

Soil scientist Michael Glenn, who conceived of many of the agricultural applications and initiated the cooperation with Engelhard, and co-inventor Gary Puterka said they see the potential for kaolin as a carrier for just about any chemical used on the farm pesticide, herbicide or pheromone.

''It can serve as a matrix to hold chemicals on the plant or soil and get more even distribution,'' said Puterka, an entomologist. ''You may be able to reduce the active ingredient by 50 percent or more.''

The latest patent application jointly filed by ARS and Engelhard covers this use of kaolin. The first commercial product Surround Crop Protectant went on the market in 1999 after pear growers learned that it controlled pear psylla, a devastating insect that is becoming pesticide resistant. This year, Engelhard upgraded it to a wetable powder formulation called Surround WP.

Kaolin is a physical barrier and must be reapplied to cover new growth or after a heavy rain.

The severe Mid-Atlantic drought of 1999 proved another advantage of the kaolin film in orchards. Treated Empire trees produced apples averaging 17 percent larger than fruit from untreated trees even trees that were irrigated, Glenn said. And there was no loss in number of fruit. Sekel pears reacted a little differently: Film-covered trees doubled the number of fruit with no loss in fruit size.

Glenn said the kaolin coat reflects the heating infrared wavelengths and burning ultraviolet rays. The ability to keep the tree cooler under a blazing sun increases yield. On the West Coast, kaolin film prevented sunburn on apples and walnuts.

Around the country, kaolin film has controlled well over a dozen species of insects and mites. Studies to evaluate it against the glassywing sharpshooter in California vineyards are in progress, and results so far look encouraging.

The kaolin particles ''have the potential to work against almost any insect,'' Puterka said. ''The key is getting good coverage of the crop.''

And with some changes in formulation, Glenn and Kearneysville colleague Michael Wisniewski are demonstrating that the films have potential to control diseases in orchards or keep vegetable crops viable several degrees below their normal threshold for frost damage.

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001


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