Hidemitsu Takahashi

A Novel Insecticide, Acetamiprid

Acelamiprid, (E)-N 1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridyl)mcthyI]-N 2-cyano-N 1-mcthylacctamidile, is a novel insecticide developed by Nippon Soda Co., Ltd. Although the compound belongs to the nconicotinoids, it possesses characteristic insecticidal properties different from others in the same category of chemical structure. Acetamiprid shows excellent activities against Hemiptera and Thysanoptcra, as do other neonicotinoids; it exhibits excellent activity against Lcpidoptera as well, and the insecticide is applicable for controlling pests of vegetables, fruit trees, the tea tree, and so on. There arc various kinds of insect pests damaging agricultural crops, and development of resistance to insecticides in many insect pests such as the diamondback moth and aphids has become a serious problem in recent years. Especially in the diamondback moth, the speed of resistance development is relatively fast; therefore, a compound that possesses a mode of action different from conventional insecticides needs to be developed. Also, pest control strategy that is safe for the environment is essential. Under these circumstances, we attempted to find a compound that possessed excellent efficacy against insects which are difficult to control, showed no cross-resistance to conventional insecticides, and was benign to the environment.