Insect Growth Regulators Research Compares Different Sources Early in the 1970s, ADM Alliance Nutrition (then MoorMan’s®) pioneered the use of methoprene (Insect Growth Regulator – IGR) as a feed-through insecticide to prevent the development of horn flies in the manure of treated cattle. For numerous years, MoorMan’s had an exclusive right to market methoprene-containing products. Within the past couple of years, other suppliers have begun to offer methoprene. ADM Alliance Nutrition research has identified other methoprene sources that offer consistent, comparable methoprene quality.

In the development of the OptiCor®* IGR Mineral products, tests were conducted to determine the stability of the methoprene from Source A, the former methoprene supplier for MoorMan’s products. These results, which showed excellent stability of the methoprene, were reported in Technical Edge S9373B-0503 and are summarized in Table 1.

This test was repeated using IGR premix from ADM Alliance Nutrition’s new methoprene supplier (Source B) to determine if similar stability could be achieved with a premix from another supplier. The results of this study are also presented in Table 1. For all of the OptiCor* IGR Mineral products, the stability of the Source B premix was comparable to the Source A product.

Methoprene-containing products provide effective reduction in horn fly populations when the product:

• Provides sufficient levels of methoprene

• Is consumed at the target intake

• Is consumed on a regular basis

These results highlight the fact that no change in performance of the IGR Minerals should occur in the field due to a change in supplier (Source B) of the IGR premix providing the above criteria are met. As an added advantage, no known case of resistance to methoprene has been documented.

*ADM Alliance Nutrition's weatherization technology improvements have produced an even better weatherization process for minerals -- WeatherMaster®, which as replaced OptiCor.

Insect Growth Regulators Research Compares Different Sources
 

IGR	IGR	Bag	Methoprene Level, % of initial
Mineral	Supplier	Number	0 mon	6 mon	% decrease
172CW	Source A	1	100.0	95.0	5.0
Hi-Phos		2	100.0	94.8	5.2
IGR		3	100.0	96.0	4.0
		Average			4.7
	Source B	1	100.0	84.5	15.5
		2	100.0	94.9	5.1
		3	100.0	98.3	1.7
		Average			7.5
627CW	Source A	1	100.0	97.1	2.9
Special		2	100.0	94.3	5.7
Phos IGR		3	100.0	94.3	5.7
		Average			4.8
	Source B	1	100.0	99.4	0.6
		2	100.0	95.5	4.5
		3	100.0	94.2	5.8
		Average			3.6
650CW	Source A	1	100.0	93.6	6.4
IGR		2	100.0	91.7	8.3
Mineral		3	100.0	97.5	2.5
		Average			5.7
	Source B	1	100.0	95.9	4.1
		2	100.0	88.0	12.0
		3	100.0	96.5	3.5
		Average			6.5
651CW	Source A	1	100.0	91.5	8.5
Hi-Mag		2	100.0	91.3	8.7
IGR		3	100.0	87.3	12.7
		Average			10.0
	Source B	1	100.0	93.7	6.3
		2	100.0	92.7	7.3
		3	100.0	102.9	(2.9)
		Average			3.6