Flexible herbicide can avoid heavy yield losses in cereals

UK - May 06, 2008

A flexible herbicide is essential when it comes to controlling cleavers, says leading Hampshire agronomist Steve Cook.
 
Cleavers are proven to be the biggest yield robber in UK cereals. Spring control is essential both to avoid heavy yield losses and avoid harvest headaches. However, farmers have to address busy fungicide as well as herbicide programmes. As spring temperatures and crop growth rates fluctuate it makes sense to choose a herbicide that works over a wide range of temperatures and with a wide range of tank mixes.
 
Steve Cook, a senior agronomist for Hampshire Arable Systems advises on over 7,000 hectares of winter cereals. He believes Starane XL (florasulam and fluroxypyr) is the flexible solution:
 
“Almost all my winter cereals require spring cleavers control. Charlock, volunteer rape, mayweed and groundsel are also often present. For the past four years Starane XL has given me 100% cleavers control as well as other weeds. This year crops are about a week behind so most treatments will go on now with a range of T1 fungicides. For me, the flexibility of Starane XL is vital. It works across a wide range of temperatures and in most tank mixes.”
 
Starane XL should be applied at 1.25 L/ha on actively growing cleavers in warm conditions. A higher rate of 1.8 L/ha is best for large, slow growing, frost-hardened cleavers and cool conditions. Application should be made by GS 31 for best results, but it can be used in winter wheat for late germinating cleavers until GS 45 to minimise weed seed build up and the headaches that cleavers can cause at harvest.