New solution integrates with irrigation systems for efficient large-scale application

Vive Crop Protection has announced the launch of Bifender SM, a soil-applied insecticide designed to give growers greater flexibility in managing soil insect pressure in corn during the growing season.

Bifender SM introduces the company’s new Soil Mobile platform, enabling the active ingredient, bifenthrin, to move with water deeper into the soil profile. This allows protection to be placed directly where pests feed, improving effectiveness compared to traditional surface-bound insecticides.

The product can be applied through chemigation systems—including drip, pivot, and overhead irrigation—offering a practical solution when planting conditions, pest timing, or equipment constraints limit early-season applications.

“Growers don’t always have perfect conditions at planting, and pest pressure doesn’t always follow a schedule,” said George Huckabay, Lead Agronomist at Vive Crop Protection. “Bifender SM provides the flexibility to respond in-season and protect crops when it matters most.”

Unlike conventional soil insecticides that remain concentrated near the surface, Bifender SM’s Soil Mobile Technology reduces interaction with soil particles, allowing the formulation to move deeper into the root zone before stabilizing as the soil dries. This creates a broader zone of protection and better aligns insect control with pest feeding activity.

Field trials have shown that in-season applications of Bifender SM can significantly reduce corn rootworm injury, with additional benefits observed when used alongside at-plant treatments such as Bifender FC.

Designed for ease of use, the product integrates with existing irrigation and chemigation infrastructure, making it suitable for large-scale farming operations as well as growers without in-furrow application equipment. Its broadcast application approach ensures consistent soil coverage and positions the active ingredient where root damage occurs.

Bifender SM is currently registered for use on corn and a range of row and specialty crops, further strengthening Vive’s portfolio of Precision Chemistry solutions aimed at improving efficiency, flexibility, and crop performance.