Shield is a safe alternative to oil in backward sugar beet

UK - May 05, 2006

Struggling sugar beet crops could benefit from an application of Dow Shield to improve weed control rather than the usual mineral oil.  

The cold snap, combined with localised heavy rain has produced scorched or yellowing leaves on some beet crops, while soil capping has led to some twisted leaves.  These crops need time to recover before going on with a herbicide programme, especially if mineral oil is included to improve weed control, but keep costs down.  

But weeds are growing fast, especially where no pre-emergence treatment was applied.  In many fields weeds may be too advanced for FAR herbicide treatments so traditional repeat-low dose programmes are required.  

“With the current poor state of sensitive beet crops, I am concerned that using mineral oil could cause unacceptable crop check,” says TAG’s principal crop research scientist, Martin Lainsbury.  “Treat with caution, particularly if the new beet leaf growth is soft with low leaf wax due to rapid growth in a humid climate after its initial set back.”     

TAG trials in recent years have shown there is a viable and safe alternative with a weed spectrum that includes polygonums.  

“Adding Dow Shield (clopyralid) at 0.25 l/ha increased bindweed kill, and could also improve control of mayweed, pale persicaria, fat hen, groundsel and fools parsley.  If volunteer potatoes and thistles are also present, Dow Shield is an obvious choice,” says Mr Lainsbury.  

Dow AgroSciences advises checking the weed size before finalising Dow Shield’s dose rate.  Where the weeds are larger than cotyledon stage, Dow’s Rene Pollak recommends growers use between 0.3 and 0.5 l/ha depending on the weed size.    

“Dow Shield is very competitively priced this year, justifying its inclusion in a herbicide mix as an alternative to mineral oil when specific weeds such as black bindweed, mayweed, groundsel, polygonums, volunteer potatoes and thistles are present in the weed spectrum,” says Mr Pollak.