Chess - Pymetrozine 50% WG - Syngenta

Why Choose This Product? Key Benefits

• 🌾A focused rice recommendation: Chess is labelled for brown plant hopper in rice. This helps match the product to a specific sucking-pest problem instead of using it as a universal solution for every rice insect or for hopper-like insects in other crops.
• 🛑Feeding inhibition is central to control: Affected pests stop feeding and then die gradually. This distinction matters when assessing the result: the product’s purpose is to interrupt damaging feeding, not necessarily to make every insect disappear immediately after spraying.
• 🍃Systemic activity within treated plants: The formulation is described as systemic and can affect foliar pests not directly struck by individual spray droplets. Even so, suitable spray coverage remains essential; systemic activity should not be used to justify missed plants or reduced water.
• 🧬A distinct mode-of-action option: Pymetrozine is IRAC Group 9B, a different biological target from neonicotinoid or pyrethroid insecticides. That identity is useful when planning an approved resistance-management programme, without promising that any resistant population will automatically be controlled.
• ⚖️Granules for measured preparation: The WG formulation is weighed before being dispersed in water. Measuring the solid product by weight keeps the dose tied to the treated area and avoids treating a granule product as if it were a liquid concentrate.

Technical Specifications

How It Works: Mode of Action

Chess contains pymetrozine, a systemic insecticide whose main effect is inhibition of feeding in susceptible brown plant hoppers. IRAC places it in Group 9B, which acts on TRPV channels in insect chordotonal organs. These sensory organs help the insect coordinate normal movement and behaviour.

1. Apply the foliar treatment: Disperse the measured granules in water and apply with a suitable knapsack sprayer. Cover the rice crop adequately so that systemic action is supported by proper application, including where the target hoppers are present.
2. Disrupt sensory coordination: Pymetrozine modulates chordotonal organ TRPV channels. This changes the normal sensory signals involved in insect movement and feeding rather than acting as a general plant-growth stimulant.
3. Stop feeding before gradual death: Susceptible pests stop feeding and subsequently die. Assess pest activity and crop condition over time rather than expecting an immediate knockdown appearance or adding another treatment solely because insects are initially still visible.

Plan insecticide use by mode of action as well as by brand. Another pymetrozine product remains Group 9B. Follow locally appropriate resistance-management and integrated pest-management advice, and do not exceed the label’s maximum of two Chess sprays.

Target Crops & Pests

The Indian leaflet’s recommendation is specifically for the following crop and pest:

This recommendation does not add stem borer, leaf folder, green leaf hopper, white-backed plant hopper or other crops. Identify the pest before spraying instead of extending the use from a general “hopper” description.

Dosage & Application Guide

Use the manufacturer’s stated acre recommendation below as a complete product-and-water pair. Measure the field area and calibrate the sprayer before preparing the mixture.

Dosage per Acre, Litre, & Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI)

Start at initial brown plant hopper infestation reaching the economic threshold level (ETL). A second spray may be made if needed according to pest incidence; the maximum is two sprays. The 19-day waiting period must be counted from the last spray.

*No independent gram-per-litre or tank-size recipe is provided here. Keep the measured product quantity tied to the treated area and the stated water volume; do not assume that a small sprayer covers an acre.

No fixed interval between the two sprays is stated here. Repeat only when needed and in accordance with the current pack and crop-specific advice. A 19-day PHI is a harvest restriction, not a repeat interval or a numerical worker re-entry time.

How to Apply: Best Practices

• Confirm brown plant hopper: Inspect the rice crop and identify the insect correctly. The recommendation is for BPH, so another rice pest or a similar-looking hopper should not automatically trigger a Chess treatment.
• Use infestation-based timing: Begin when the initial infestation reaches ETL, following local crop advice. The leaflet’s conditional second treatment is not a requirement to make two routine sprays regardless of pest incidence.
• Weigh the granules: Use an accurate agricultural measuring scale and measure the formulated product in grams. Keep the package and measuring equipment dry until preparation, and do not measure the product in millilitres as though it were a liquid.
• Prepare the mixture gradually: Mix the required product in a small quantity of water, then gradually add the rest of the water to prepare the spray. Use dedicated equipment, not food-preparation utensils, and use a stick for stirring rather than bare hands.
• Apply with adequate coverage: Use a knapsack sprayer as directed. Calibrate output for the treated area and provide thorough crop coverage. Do not cut water simply to make one tank last longer or rely on systemic action to replace application to the affected crop.
• Check the result and the remaining harvest window: Monitor hopper activity and crop condition after treatment. If a second spray is justified, keep within the two-spray maximum and leave at least 19 days between that last application and harvest. Do not invent a repeat interval to speed up the programme.
• Use protective measures throughout: Wear gloves, protective clothing, mask, goggles and boots. Avoid inhaling spray mist or vapour and keep the product off skin and eyes. Prevent spills, spray and equipment washings from contaminating water bodies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Safety & Disclaimer