Plant-parasitic nematodes are a key pest in Florida horticulture production and nematicide application is an important part of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. To that end, there is a recent addition to the limited number of nematicides available in horticulture production. In 2023, Salibro (Reklemel active trademark name, Corteva Agrisciences) was registered in the United States and is now labelled for application in Florida. This article is intended to provide key information about this new product to Florida growers and agricultural professionals.
What is Salibro nematicide and what are its characteristics?
Salibro is a liquid, non-fumigant nematicide. The common name for the active ingredient in Salibro is fluazaindolizine and Corteva also has a trademark name of Reklemel for this active ingredient. Similar to other conventional nematicides developed since 2010 (e.g. Velum and NIMITZ), Salibro is not a restricted-use pesticide and its “CAUTION” label signal word generally reflects a safer toxicity profile for handlers and the environment than older neurotoxin nematicides. Salibro is not a systemic nematicide, so it needs to be applied to and distributed in the soil to contact and kill plant-parasitic nematodes. In many other characteristics (mobility, residual time), it is moderate relative to other non-fumigant nematicides.
How can I apply Salibro nematicide and to what crops?
For full details, consult the Salibro label linked here. Currently, Salibro is labelled for selected horticulture crops including carrot, tuber/corm crops, cucurbits, fruiting vegetables, non-bearing fruit or nut trees, and non-bearing vine fruits. Most nematicides roll out in stages to various crop groups, so monitor for future developments. Salibro can generally be applied before planting, at planting, or in-season, but consult the product label for information about specific crops and situations. Generally, before or at planting is the most important time to apply nematicides in annual crops. Application methods are all soil-directed since the product must come in contact with nematodes in the soil to be effective. For crops grown for export, double-check if tolerance limits for this new nematicide are established in your target export market.
Is Salibro an effective nematicide?
We have tested Salibro in a number of University of Florida trials, primarily against various root-knot nematodes. In short, Salibro can help manage root-knot nematodes and its efficacy has typically been similar to or better than other non-fumigant nematicides (e.g. Velum, NIMITZ, Vydate C-LV). For example, see this summary of a Florida research study on Salibro for southern root-knot nematode management in sweetpotato in a previous Panhandle Ag article linked here.
On the other hand, Salibro is typically less effective than fumigation and cost effectiveness will need to be investigated for specific crops and situations. Salibro is a fairly expensive product with pricing around $200/acre at the maximum labelled rate for a single application (61.4 fl. oz/a). Cost can be reduced by using a lower labelled rate (e.g. 15.4 – 30.7 fl. oz/a listed for some timings in certain crops). From our trials, it is possible to retain efficacy at lower application rates in some cases, but this will vary by situation (nematode pressure, nematode species, crop, etc.). Relative to root-knot nematode, there has been less field testing against other plant-parasitic nematodes that are important in Florida. For example, Salibro had moderate efficacy at managing sting nematode in potato (Figure 2), but only one field trial has been conducted in that pest-crop combination so far. Given the wide range of crops and types of plant-parasitic nematodes in Florida, there is much to be learned about how this product fits in an IPM plan in Florida horticulture.
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