Protecting plants and profits

Central Life Sciences is a company with several unique advantages for wholesale nurseries.

“We don’t have the big, giant portfolio of products that some companies have, as far as fungicides and herbicides and all the different products they have in the nursery market,” says Rodney Morrow, regional sales manager, specialty products. “But we do have some technology that a lot of companies don’t have and aren’t utilizing exactly the same way.”

Morrow is referring to insect growth regulators, or IGRs, which Central Life Sciences introduced nearly 50 years ago.

Now in 2026, there are other IGRs in the horticulture industry. But Morrow cautions that not every one is formulated to work the same way. Knowing how to position an IGR to limit the replacement population of an insect species is essential, he says. Consider whiteflies. If a grower keeps spraying whiteflies without ever regaining control against them, the result is often a large replacement population. This creates a resistance challenge.

However, if the grower uses the correct IGR for the job properly, the product will stop the larval or pupal development of insects, which in turn prevents them from developing into adults that will need to be sprayed later.

Reducing resistance

Another reason growers should choose Central Life Sciences is because of the company’s strength in the synergist market. By combining the power of Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) with other active ingredients, a product can shut down an insect’s ability to resist.

Insect resistance occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to a non-lethal dose of a pesticide. When you first apply a pesticide, it’s at its maximum strength. But over time, that power fades, and any insects that didn’t die in the initial application may survive a less lethal dose. They adapt by using the cytochrome P450 enzyme, Morrow says, which is in the cells of virtually all insects.

“This enzyme allows those insects to snap their fingers and put on armor, if you will, just to protect them from whatever poison is there,” Morrow says. “By using PBO synergists, we’re able to shut down the insects’ abilities to utilize that mechanism. Basically, we shut off their ability to protect themselves temporarily.”

This combination allows for an effective two-stage approach to insect control. If a grower uses IGRs properly, they can limit the replacement population, which means they will have fewer adult insects to chase down. If a grower uses PBOs on the adult population, they will break the resistance cycle.

Morrow says there are several reasons growers should choose this approach.

“The traditional nursery guy is going to use the most economical products he can, whatever’s affordable, and he’s going to use it over and over and exhaust it,” he says. “And if he doesn’t see good performance, he’s even going to use more of it.”

For someone like that, using a synergist would be extremely beneficial, because it would help them control the young population. That would lead to better performance and fewer applications of those commodity products.

Removing the guesswork

For growers that want an all-in-one solution, ClearLeaf® Insecticide/Miticide has taken the guesswork out of mite control. ClearLeaf® Insecticide/Miticide includes two modes of action with active ingredients Tau-fluvalinate and Abamectin and the synergist, PBO, to shut down resistance.

Morrow has testimonials from growers who have had success using it to control two-spotted spider mites, whiteflies and thrips, in many cases when other products failed.

Tau-fluvalinate is the active ingredient from Mavrik Aquaflow® Insecticide & Miticide, another broad-spectrum product from Central Life Sciences. Abamectin is a well-known miticide in the industry and it is translaminar, which helps spread the Tau-fluvalinate throughout the plant.

Having the PBO component allows ClearLeaf® Insecticide/Miticide to use substantially lower concentrations of the other active ingredients. For example, Morrow says customers often tell him they continually increase Abamectin in their tank mixes, up to a 2% rate. Central Life Sciences has formulated ClearLeaf® Insecticide/Miticide to be effective with only 0.09% Abamectin.

“To have the max killing power of the industry’s very best product at 0.09% Abamectin, and still not irritate the plant and cause phytotoxicity issues — it’s impressive,” Morrow says.

“You’re getting the PBO block, you’re getting the Abamectin and Tau-fluvalinate working together to do their job now that the insect resistance is shut down and you’ve got it all in a pre-formulated, non-phytotoxic, ready to go formulation.”

ClearLeaf® Insecticide/Miticide is available in quart and gallon containers with integrated measuring equipment for ease of tank mixing.