Arable


Good strategy key for effective weed control in potatoes


• Use all actives at your disposal


• Be flexible and put safety first


• Pay attention to get timing right


R


esidual herbicides should be applied early to potato crops at high rates for a strong start to programmes this spring, growers are being told.


Despite several high profile product


withdrawals in recent years, excellent levels of early season weed control in potatoes can still be achieved by choos- ing the right mix of chemicals, says Agrovista agronomist Ross Barton. Mr Barton advises on over 500ha of potatoes across Shropshire, Stafford- shire, Cheshire and north Wales. He still sees Soleto (metobromuron) and metribuzin as key residual herbicides with newcomer Aclonifen an effective partner for mixes for fields with high weed burdens.


No single solution “After analysis of weed spectrum, soil type and the variety being grown, there is rarely a standard programme to cov- er all situations,” he says. “The key is to utilise all the actives at your disposal and put crop safety and flexibility at the forefront of programmes.” In Soleto and Aclonifen, there are now two pre-emergence options that offer effective solutions, says Mr Bar- ton. Both have no soil type or varietal


restrictions so building programmes around them is a good starting point. “Soleto, with its active ingredient metobromuron, is very active in soil and is an excellent partner alongside other actives such as metribuzin and prosulfocarb. Aclonifen is also an ef- fective tank-mix partner offering ad- ditional control of polygonum weeds in tough situations.” Looking back to last year’s dry


spring, Mr Barton believes it is impor- tant to apply residual herbicides ear- ly at high dose rates – before a contact herbicide – when dealing with some of the unusual weather patterns the UK has experienced in recent years.


Extreme weather “With the potential for sudden and ex- treme weather fluctuations I advise getting residuals on as early as possi- ble – normally 7-10 days after plant- ing. With the contact herbicide I would then advise waiting as late as possible, just before the ridges crack, applying it as a separate spray.” Separating the two sprays enables better overall risk management, says Mr Barton.


“The combination of Soleto and met- ribuzin worked extremely well in last year’s dry conditions but the varietal restrictions that come with metribuz- in can be an issue and I would not ad- vise use of metribuzin on coarse, sandy soils to avoid potential crop damage” he adds.


When it comes to contact herbi-


cides, Mr Barton sees Gozai (pyra- flufen-ethyl) as a solid choice. To op- timise results, he says it should be applied on its own, at 0.4 litres/ha in


Mr Barton trialled a number of different knockdown strategies last year


I advise getting residuals on as early as possible


“


a mix of no less than 200 litres/ha of water with methylated seed oil (MSO). “If Gozai is applied at the right cov- erage levels with an MSO then there should be no requirement for a follow up such as rimsulfuron in over 80% of cases based on the extensive work I did with Gozai during 2019 and 2020.”


Dessication Top of last season’s industry agenda was desiccation without diquat. Most of Mr Barton’s growers opted for a flail and spray strategy. Aided by a time- ly, warm dry summer, he successful- ly trialled several knockdown strate- gies and was pleased with the overall results.


Maize herbicide can be used on linseed too


Linseed growers have an extra tool to control difficult weeds after maize her- bicide Basilico was granted an Exten- sion of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) registration.


The EAMU means Basilico can be used on winter and spring linseed. Manufactured by off-patent manufac- turers Life Scientific, it contains 100 g/l mesotrione and is reverse engineered from the reference product Callisto. Previously used as a post emer- gence herbicide in crops of grain and


12 MIDLAND FARMER • FEBRUARY 2021


forage maize to control annual broad- leaved weeds. Basilico’s new EAMU allows the product to be used on both winter and spring linseed as a pre- emergence treatment. The maximum rate of use is 1.5 l/ha.


More farmers are growing linseed, says Ruth Stanley


“The area of linseed is increasing in the UK as growers look for alterna- tive break crops to oilseed rape, so it’s great news to be able to offer an addi- tional herbicide option for this crop,” says Life Scientific country manager Ruth Stanley.


“We have worked closely with Lin- seed specialists Premium Crops who have helped us with the EAMU sub- mission.”


Premium Crops linseed agrono-


mist Hannah Foxall says Basilico is the company’s preferred herbicide op- tion – and offers good control of difficult weeds such as polygonums and fat hen. “It’s important to recognise that the


best results come from applications to moist soils immediately after drilling and rolling.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40