Nuovo anti-parassitario "biologico"

["AlessandroGimona"<agimona@libero.it>]

Cari tutti,
...un nuovo spray a base di caolino che agisce da repellente contro gli 
insetti. Sembra possa essere usato con successo nell'agricoltura 
biologica.

Spero interessi
Alessandro Gimona


UNIQUE, ORGANIC CROP PROTECTANT NOW AVAILABLE FOR USE IN HOME GARDENS
         April 10, 2001
         From a press release
         Natural Mineral-Based Product Protects Fruits and Vegetables 
From Many
         Pests;
         Doesn't Harm Beneficial Insects
         ISELIN, N.J., -- It may look like a snowstorm in August when 
garden plants
         are covered with new Surround(R) At Home(TM) crop protectant, 
but the white
         coating clinging to fruits, vegetables and leaves safely and 
effectively
         prevents a variety of common pests from damaging the plants. 
Yet the
         product does not affect honeybees and other pollinators, 
earthworms or other
         beneficial insects.
         Developed by Engelhard Corporation, Surround At Home is made 
from specially
         modified kaolin, a natural mineral that is also used as a food 
additive and
         in cosmetics. The product is sprayed onto pears, apples, 
grapes, berries,
         and some vegetables using standard hand-held and backpack 
sprayers to form a
         dry, white coating that makes the plants unattractive to insect 
pests.
         Insects don't like crawling on a plant or tree covered with 
Surround At
         Home. It sticks to their wings, legs and mouth parts, so they 
quickly leave
         to find a more comfortable place to feed and lay eggs. At 
harvest, the
         Surround coating rubs off fruits and vegetables easily under 
running water,
         leaving the produce ready to eat.
         Surround prevents sunburn on fruits and nuts and reduces the 
stress of
         summer heat by reflecting harmful UV and infrared light while 
allowing
         usable light to pass through. Because Surround-treated plants 
don't "shut
         down" from stress as early on a hot day, photosynthesis 
actually can be
         increased.
         The product is available to home gardeners through Gardens 
Alive!(R)
         (http://www.gardensalive.com), a leader marketer of organic 
gardening
         products.
         Engelhard Corporation, the Fortune 500 surface and materials 
science
         company, and the United States Department of Agriculture's 
Agricultural
         Research Service (USDA-ARS) developed the product under a 
cooperative
         program aimed at developing softer pest-control technologies.
         Commercial versions of Surround are used in large orchards and 
farms, and
         the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) has listed 
Surround WP crop
         protectant for use in organic production.
         Easy-to-use
         Surround At Home is supplied as a white powder to be mixed by 
the home
         gardener with water and sprayed directly on fruit and foliage. 
The product
         is most effective when sprayed before infestations occur and 
generally
         should be reapplied every 7 to 14 days. "Keeping the plant 
covered is the
         key to success," said Peter Barrows, manager of crop 
protectants at
         Engelhard. Reapplication also is necessary after heavy rains 
that can wash
         the Surround coating off plants. Most other insecticides, and 
fungicides
         such as sulfur and lime-sulfur, can be mixed with Surround.
         Studies have shown that Surround At Home is effective in 
suppressing a range
         of insect pests on a variety of plants:
         Flea beetles, cucumber beetles and bean beetles on some 
vegetables
         Japanese beetles and leafhoppers on cane berries and 
blueberries, and
         blueberry maggot on blueberries
         Pear psylla, rust mites, thrips, leafhoppers, and early codling 
moth on
         pears
         Plum curculio, leafhoppers, leaf rollers and early codling 
moths on apples
         http://www.gardensalive.com,


Alessandro Gimona
agimona@libero.it