Issue 04 June/July 2018
A Spotlight on Products, Promos, Insights and More
Safe to tread
Health Canada requires all pesticides to have a defined pesticide Re-Entry Interval (REI), which is the minimum amount of time between the application of a pesticide to a crop and the time that it is safe to re-enter the field without protective clothes or equipment. The length of time needed for an REI is often correlated to the toxicity and the hazard of the product, with longer intervals required for a product with increased toxicity. This information is accessible on the label, MSDS, and Crop Production Guide. If you enter fields for a crop check and the field appears to be recently sprayed—stop! There are three questions you need to answer before you can safely enter that field:
1
Has the field been sprayed recently?
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When was the field sprayed?
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What products were applied?
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The answers to these simple questions can help you determine when you can safely re-enter that field and avoid a dangerous risk to your health and safety through exposure to a pesticide. If you have to re-enter the field before the re-entry period is up, wear protective gear to safeguard yourself from exposure to that pesticide.
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The owner, manager, and all of the staff of an independent retail are a team—people who work together to help drive the success of the business operation. But there is a potential risk of danger lurking for team members who spend time as agronomists and crop scouts in scouting customers’ fields. They could be entering a field and unknowingly exposing themselves to a health and safety hazard. Does your team know if it is safe to tread when they enter a customer’s field?
It all comes down to communication
Retail staff members who enter fields can stay in communication with their growers to keep track of which fields are safe to enter, and which fields could put your health at risk before the REI time restriction. In this age of ubiquitous mobile technology, almost every customer has at least one cell phone. An email, text, or even phone call takes just 30 seconds but can keep your team members safe and reduce the risk of pesticide exposure. From a producer’s point of view, they want to keep an open communication to ensure the safety of the agronomist or crop scout who is offering the vital service of field scouting. Producers also think of their agronomist as part of their farm team; the safety and well-being of a team member for both the retail and the producer is a top priority to all. A good day’s work on the farm can often be a long and busy one, but there should always be time for following safe work practices and engaging in regular, informed communication with team members. The best days of all are when all of the members of the team return safely to their own families at the end of the day.
CONNECTIVITY 2018
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Issue 04 June/July 2018
Does your fertility plan have you over a barrel? There are at least 17 known essential nutrients for plants, and each one must meet its own critical range before the crop can optimize yield. In the 19th century, German scientist Justus von Liebig studied the relationship between plant growth and soil fertility. His conclusions still hold true today and the Law of Minimum, or Liebig’s Law, states that crop yield is proportionate to the amount of the most limiting essential nutrient.
Crop fertility plans have to consider the big picture, and all essential plant nutrients. A producer’s most expensive crop input is fertilizer. If we apply the Law of Minimum to a fertilizer plan we have to consider all 17 nutrients and ensure they’re all available to the crop in appropriate ratios. Don’t guess; test for micronutrients. If not, attaining targeted yield goals and the cost of fertilizer could have you over a barrel.
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The Law of Minimum is often pictured as a barrel filled with water to represent yield. Each stave represents an essential nutrient, with the shortest stave being the most limiting nutrient. Yield represented by the water level can only be to the level of the most limiting nutrient.
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6
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N P K S
12
15
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17
13
8
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14
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The Law of Minimum teaches that all 17 essential nutrients have an equal impact on determining yield, including those micronutrients that are required in only trace amounts. Producers who focus on just the macronutrients for crop nutrition might be missing out on maximizing yield. The most limiting nutrient is the one that can restrict yield potential; if that particular nutrient is a micronutrient, just adding nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and sulphur to try to meet a yield goal will not work.
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CONNECTIVITY 2018
Issue 04 June/July 2018
Fusarium Head Blight
DID YOU KNOW?
(Fusarium graminearum)
While Fusarium spp. can cause a variety of seed and seedling blights, the most economically damaging disease is Fusarium head blight in cereals. The disease is usually found in durum (highest risk for infection), CPS and HRW. It is not as prevalent in barley, rye, or oats. Higher seeding rates, uniform seeding depth, crop rotation, and application of fungicide are important best-management practices to reduce the risk of infection. Timing of fungicide application is critical and should be at flowering or a few days after flowering. Sprayer application techniques can enhance the coverage of the fungicide as well.
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Spores overwinter in the soil or on trash residue and become airborne during the growing season. If cereals are flowering, the glumes open to accept pollen, and Fusarium spores can potentially enter the wheat spikelet, with infection occurring three to four days later. The head of infected cereal spikelets appear to be pinkish-orange. Infected wheat kernels are shrivelled with a chalk-like appearance.
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Fusarium poses several threats to the quality of your grain and the final grade it receives. Fusarium-damaged kernels lower grain quality and kernel weight. The disease also produces DON toxins (deoxynivalenol) that can make grains unfit for malting, milling and livestock feed. If infected grain is used for seed, it can lead to poor emergence, a higher risk of seed and seedling diseases and build-up of inoculum in the soil.
Protect your crops – and yields – with Caramba® fungicide. It provides proven protection against fusarium and exceptional control of late-season foliar diseases. Caramba also effectively reduces DON contamination to preserve quality and helps increase yield potential.
Want the best protection against FHB?
Learn more about Caramba at agsolutions.ca.
Always read and follow label directions. AgSolutions is a registered trade-mark of BASF Corporation; CARAMBA is a registered trade-mark of BASF Agro B.V.; all used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. CARAMBA fungicide should be used in a preventative disease control program. © 2018 BASF Canada Inc. Discussion of specific pest control methodologies may not be specific to the laws and regulations for your Province, Territory, or Country. Product claims originate from supplier-provided information. Products may not be registered and/or available in all areas. Always check with your local Univar office for specific information to your area. Always read and follow label directions. © 2018. Univar Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Univar, the hexagon, and other identified trademarks are the property of Univar Inc., Univar Canada LTD., or affiliated companies. All other trademarks not owned by Univar that appear are the property of their respective owners.
CONNECTIVITY 2018
Issue 04 June/July 2018
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Stop limiting crop protection performance Mike Bakker, Business Manager-Canada, Helena
One of the easiest things to get the most from your pesticide dollar is to ensure that the crop protection product says “on target” or “minimize drift”. For most growers in Canada, drift has become a larger issue the past few years. A key reason for this is the increase in crop diversification, more active and nonselective herbicides on the market and a greater awareness of off target issues in the environment. There are a number of ways to reduce the potential risk of spray drift, one very easy way is to include a drift reduction agent. The basic principal of a drift reduction agent is to increase the viscosity of a spray solution to reduce the number of small water droplets (or fines) produced in an application. A study completed by North Dakota State University, by Hofman and Solsent, demonstrat-
ed that adding a drift reduction agent can reduce the downwind drift up to 80%. At Helena we have an easy-to-use drift reduction agent called Alignment. In several trials, Alignment has proven to reduce fine particle drift to assist in keeping valuable crop protection investments on target. Once a pesticide product is kept on target it’s also critical to make sure that water quality issues will not impact crop protection product performance. Water quality can be a huge issue for a range of products, even glyphosate. One of the easiest things a grower can do to increase performance is to include a water conditioning product. If a tank mix doesn’t include a water conditioner, products that are comprised of a weak acid can easily get bound up
(or tied up) in hard water. At Helena we have a proven water conditioning product called Relax. Relax has proven to reduce the impacts of hard water so growers can get the maximum from their investment in their crop protection dollar. These are just a couple of products from Helena that can help protect your crop protection investment.
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To grow bigger and bigger yields, growers are making more and more investment in crop protection products and passes over the field. But with any kind of investment, it’s critical to protect the investment and make sure that the products are not moving off target (drift) and are not getting antagonized by something as basic as hard water.
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Issue 04 June/July 2018
Field thoughts: Stretching the disease triangle The Disease Triangle has been one of the most useful and understandable guidelines for agronomists for decades. It demonstrates that there are three components to disease and that all three have to be in place for yield loss: 1. A susceptible crop variety 2. The presence of a disease pathogen 3. Climatic conditions for the disease to catch hold and flourish
We have a number of disease resistance issues in Western Canada, and more are coming. Diseases reproduce and spread many times faster than weeds and insects. Over the last few years we have seen a proliferation of new fungicides, often in a combination product with several activities. This is a good strategy because applying fungicides in combinations, tank mixes, or premixes not only broadens the spectrum but is also wise resistance management. Is it finally time to stretch the triangle into a new shape? It is certainly time to think about it.
What can you do today? p Use Multiple Modes of Action fungicides p Rotate fungicides with different mechanisms of action p Keep up to date with extension reports on resistance monitoring and keep an ear open to local disease trends p Select seed varieties with strong disease resistance packages p Practice crop rotation and proper agronomy for a healthy strong crop p Know what conditions favour disease development and scout your fields
What does copper deficiency look like in wheat? Can the use of a copper micronutrient be an economic advantage?
Symptoms of yellow and wilted leaves, along with the youngest leaf twisting are common signs of copper deficiency in cereals. If the deficiency continues as the crop matures, prolonged flowering, poor grain fill, darkened heads, and delayed maturity will start to show. It is common for a deficiency to appear as patches in the field and have a drought-like appearance.
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Unfortunately, there is still one lurking factor out there that the Disease Triangle hasn’t accounted for: fungicide resistance.
Ask Ms.Ag Expert
Source: IPNI Nutrient Copper deficiency doesn’t always result Deficiency Collection in deficiency symptoms but can still severely impact wheat yields and quality. Ergot is a disease associated with copper deficiency and grading tolerance of ergot in wheat is very low. The application of a copper foliar micronutrient can have a substantial economic advantage if copper levels are deficient.
Specialty products catalogue announcement Have You Heard? The Specialty Products Brochure for Spring 2018 is out!
Univar offers specialty herbicides, spray tank cleaners, and add-in products for modified spray coverage. These products fit a special niche that can bring both new and existing customers through the door searching for solutions. These products AND the product knowledge you need to answer your customers' questions are available through your Univar Territory Manager.
© 2018. Univar Canada LTD. All rights reserved. UNIVAR, the hexagon, and other identified trademarks are the property of Univar Inc., Univar Canada LTD, or affiliated companies. Always read and follow label directions. All other trademarks not owned by Univar Inc., Univar Canada LTD or affiliated companies that appear in this material are the property of their respective owners. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails.