New herbicide tackles wild oats

UK - March 26, 2009

The well-publicised challenges of late-sown, backward crops mean the weed burden could be well above average this spring.

One weed predicted to pose a particular threat is wild oats as sudden flushes are likely to appear after the winter’s cold snap. According to ADAS scientist James Clarke: “After a hard winter, spring flushes of wild oats are typical and with crops not as forward as they might be and also being very open, it’s the ideal conditions for weeds to thrive in.”

This will be a good time for growers to use Dow AgroSciences’ new herbicide Broadway Star on their winter wheat, which in trials has proven to be as effective as currently used standard herbicides. “Not only will it give up to 98% control of wild oats,” says technical expert Stuart Jackson, “it has the added bonus of controlling a very wide range of broadleaved weeds including cleavers, speedwell, poppy, common chickweed, field pansy, geranium, mayweed and volunteer oilseed rape.”

“The key to getting the best results is to apply Broadway Star when weeds are actively growing, between GS21-31 and at a rate of 265g/ha. It should also be applied with an adjuvant at a fine to medium spray rate.”

Masstock Agronomist Richard Cull adds: “Where cereals are not grown continuously, Broadway Star will provide growers with a really useful alternative to existing products, which often have following crop restrictions.

“This spring the challenge will be to get crops to yield their optimum, given the late drilling of the majority of them. With the added control of broadleaved weeds, Broadway Star offers real value for money.”