Cleavers threaten cereal yields

UK - March 31, 2008

Cleavers pose a significant threat to cereal yields this year, warns a leading agronomist. 

“Increased use of pre-emergent and early post-emergent herbicides has led to late germinating cleavers posing a bigger threat to cereal yields this year,” warns Dave Ellerton, Technical Director at Procam. 

“There are quite a few cleavers to be found in fields and some growers hope that Atlantis or Pacifica may do the job. However, cleavers are the biggest yield robbers in cereals and there should be no compromise in their control. 

“Adding Boxer (florasulam) to Atlantis or Pacifica is the perfect tank mixture to tackle both blackgrass and cleavers as well as a wide range of other broad-leaved weeds,” advises Dr Ellerton. 

“When using the tried and trusted combinations of Boxer with Atlantis or Pacifica, our experience shows that Boxer should be included at the 75 ml/ha rate under difficult growing conditions, reducing to 50 ml/ha when conditions improve and cleavers are growing well,” comments David Roberts, technical specialist at Dow AgroSciences. 

Boxer, when used alone, should be applied at 100 ml/ha for cleavers up to 200mm tall. A higher rate of 150 ml/ha is needed for larger (500mm) slow growing, frost-hardened cleavers and in cool conditions. Best results come from an application made by GS 31, but Boxer can be used in winter wheat up to GS39 to control late germinating cleavers.