Farmers confirm UNITE tackles tough blackgrass

UK - August 13, 2010

A national survey shows that Dow AgroSciences’ new herbicide UNITE is as every bit as effective against blackgrass in winter wheat as other established post emergence products – and unlike competitor products it also has the bonus of extensive broadleaved weed control.

As part of an on-going feedback exercise, some 50 farmers and agronomists were asked about the performance of UNITE in 2011/2012. It was used by farmers for a year against blackgrass under the code name GF-2070, a unique blend of pyroxsulam with flupyrsulfuron-methyl.

Compared to their current programme, 80% of growers said the UNITE programme performed better or the same, while 88% said they would use UNITE again based on its excellent performance.

Essex-based agronomist John Walker said he’d “definitely” be using UNITE again.
He says: “It’s not been an easy year. UNITE did just as good a job as its competitor on blackgrass and it did better on broadleaved weeds.”

Stuart Jackson, Cereal Herbicide Specialist at Dow AgroSciences, says: “Besides the 2011 commercial exposure, UNITE was trialled across the UK for four years in a range of seasons against challenging blackgrass populations including at ADAS Boxworth.

“Changing trends in farming practice have encouraged the prevalence of blackgrass and it is a major problem in the east of the UK.

“As an individual plant it is not as competitive as wild oats, but because populations of 200-400 plants per square metre are quite common, yield penalties are severe. It has been calculated that just 12 plants/m² can reduce yield by 5%.”

Mr Jackson says that the best time to use ALS inhibitors like UNITE is in the autumn, at the 1-3 leaf stage of the blackgrass and while the weed is actively growing.

UNITE is the widest spectrum graminicide in the UK controlling key grassweed species in winter wheat. In addition it has good control on broadleaved weeds including cranesbill, groundsel and volunteer beans along with poppy and mayweeds. It is also active against loose silky bent, canary grass, couch (from seed) and meadow grass. UNITE can be mixed with a residual herbicide to offer comprehensive treatment of blackgrass populations.

UNITE is an ALS herbicide, therefore it is important to use the product within a herbicide programme and in accordance with WRAG (Weed Resistance Action Group) Guidelines.