a newsletter from Bayer CropScience
Volume 19 • Issue 1
One solution for 24 grassy and broadleaf weeds Now you can manage herbicide resistance and control grass and broadleaf weeds with just one solution. Herbicide resistance occurs when a weed is able to withstand a herbicide application that under normal circumstances would be lethal. One of the most effective ways to manage herbicide resistant weeds is to rotate herbicides with different modes of action. For farmers who want to control grassy and broadleaf weeds in spring and durum wheat, the product to use is Velocity m3. The two new, innovative active ingredients – Pyrasulfotole (Group 27) and Thiencarbazone-methyl (Group 2) – combined with Bromoxynil (Group 6) in Velocity m3 is proving to be a powerful management tool to control some of the worst resistant weed problems in western Canada. How it works. Pyrasulfotole (Group 27) is the first new mode of action to be developed in North America for broadleaf weed control in cereals in more than 20 years. It is absorbed through foliage and is translocated throughout the plant, resulting in systemic effects which quickly stops the plant’s growth and initiates the weed’s demise. This provides spring and durum wheat the opportunity to fully utilize available water and nutrients to achieve full yield potential. The ALS/AHAS inhibitor chemistry of Thiencarbazone-Methyl (Group 2) blocks the normal function of an enzyme called Acetolactate Synthase (ALS) or Actohydroxy Acid Synthase (AHAS) which is essential to amino acid (protein) synthesis. Without proteins, metabolic activity within the plant ceases and the plant starves to death. continued on next page
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Bromoxynil (Group 6) works on contact, interfering with photosynthesis, disrupting plant growth which ultimately leads to the plant’s death. Flexible Cropping Rotational Options With the exceptional re-cropping flexibility of Velocity m3, growers can plant spring and durum wheat, barley, oats, canary seed, canola, flax, peas, soybeans, alfalfa and field corn the year following application. Exceptional Crop Safety Velocity m3 is completely crop safe on all varieties of wheat (including durum) and can be applied at any time from the 1-6 leaf stage, up to 3 tillers. It includes a Bayer CropScience proprietary safener that accelerates the metabolism of the herbicide in the crop but not in susceptible weed species. Trials conducted by Bayer CropScience confirmed the performance of Velocity m3 on a wide variety of grassy and broadleaf weeds in western Canadian wheat crops including wild oats, green foxtail and barnyard grass as well 15 broadleaf weeds such as Kochia, Chickweed and Cleavers. Three modes of action, powerful weed control and effective herbicide resistance and you get it all in one solution – that’s Velocity m3.
Weeds Controlled/Suppressed Grassy Weeds
Broadleaf Weeds
Weeds Suppressed
Wild oats Annual sow-thistle Canada thistle Green foxtail Chickweed Dandelion Barnyard grass Cleavers Perennial sow-thistle Common ragweed Persian darnel Flixweed Roundleaf mallow Hemp-nettle Yellow foxtail Kochia Lamb’s-quarters Pale smartweed Redroot pigweed Russian thistle Shepherd’s purse Stinkweed Volunteer canola (including conventional and herbicide tolerant) Wild buckwheat Wild mustard
Maximize weed control, minimize herbicide resistance By incorporating everyday farming tools in your cropping program, you can get the most out of your weed control investment. Here are some key strategies: • Seed competitive varieties and increase seeding rates to enhance a crop’s ability to compete more effectively with weeds. Varying seeding dates and decreasing row spacings are other options. Even herbicide-resistant weeds are still susceptible to crop competition for space, moisture, sunlight and nutrients. • Plan your fertility program to meet crop requirements, then apply strategically to feed the crop, not weeds. Crops that get a head start on weeds through proper fertility are going to be more competitive. • Take a long-term view – several years into the future – of rotating crops and herbicide modes of action to maximize the benefits of your Mix it Up! program (mixitup.ca).
By knowing what crops you intend to seed in a field and which modes of action you have available for weed control in coming years, it is much easier to prevent resistance and/or minimize further development of resistant weeds. • Sanitation can minimize the spread of resistant seeds, so try to clean machinery and equipment before moving between fields, especially if you know or suspect resistance is an issue in an area on your farm. Other sanitation tactics include keeping field boundaries weed-free, collecting chaff to remove weed seeds from a field, and composting manure before application to destroy weed seeds. And if tillage is an option, you can run a piece of equipment across an entire field or selectively through a patch of suspicious weed growth to complement your chemical control program. As has been said on many occasions, no weed has ever developed resistance to steel.
a newsletter from Bayer CropScience
Protect pulse crops with Trilex AL seed treatment ®
Trilex AL is proven to protect against seed and soil borne disease and enhancing the effects of inoculants One of the most effective ways to protect seed viability and prevent diseases like seedrot and seedling blight in pulse and soybean crops is with a fungicide seed treatment. It works by controlling fungi that seed borne – either on the seed surface or carried within – and fungi that is soil borne, either present in the soil or on crop residue in the soil. With Trilex® AL, a new flowable seed treatment, growers can protect bean, pea, chickpea, lentil and soybean crops. Trilex AL protects against a broad spectrum of disease, including: • Seed rot and damping-off caused by Rhizocotonia solani, Fusarium spp., Pythium spp. • Seed-borne Botrytis cinerea (lentils only) • Seed-borne Phomopsis spp. (soybeans only) • Root rot caused by Phomopsis spp. With two unique fungicides – Trifloxystrobin (Group 11) and Metalaxyl (Group 4) – this product has proven superior nodulation benefits than the market leading product on the effectiveness of all inoculants including liquid based formulations. Combining seed treatments and inoculants The use of inoculants for all pulse and soybean crops is a standard accepted practice to maximize plant performance and crop yield. Trilex AL, which has been extensively tested by inoculant companies, has proven to have one of the highest compatibilities between fungicidal seed treatments and rhizobium-based inoculants. Compatibility is measured by assessing the inoculant survival on untreated seed vs treated seed and it varies with seed treatment brands. Seed treatment fungicide compatibility is influenced by specific formulations of both the fungicide and the inoculation material and application method such as a slurry application versus sequential and/or simultaneous applications. When using a combination of seed treatment fungicide and inoculant, always consult inoculant product labels and company compatibility fact sheets for the various methods fungicides can be applied to pulse crops. The inoculant manufacturer’s recommendations should always be followed in regards to seed treatment fungicide compatibility and the recommended planting interval after application. Studies (Matus et al. 2004) show that when applied as recommended, seed treatments have no significant effect on rhizobium and the capacity to fix nitrogen. Granular inoculants provide the highest level of compatibility as they are separated from the seed, providing maximum protection to the rhizobium.
Happy Together! A systems approach to disease control makes good agronomic sense. A crop that is able to effectively fight off disease is better able to focus its energy on maturing. That’s why using the fungicide Stratego to clean up disease early in the season followed by an application of Folicur or Stratego to protect the flag leaf gives you an unbeatable combination. Specifically designed to protect against cereal leaf diseases, Stratego is registered to be tank-mixed with herbicides in wheat and barley for early season protection. Stratego combines two completely different fungicide families with distinct modes of action, a powerful tool when it comes to managing disease resistance. Together, these two modes of action lock into the leaf, move throughout the plant and deliver long-lasting control. Stratego can be tank mixed with Puma120 Super and Refine Extra for wheat and barley or with Puma120 Super and Buctril M for wheat. Applying the tank mixed products at the three to four leaf stage should provide effective control of weeds and early diseases. Combining the products saves additional application costs and because another trip across the field isn’t required, there’s a time and fuel saved as well. Folicur in wheat or Stratego in wheat or barley is required to protect the flag leaf from a wide range of leaf disease as well Folicur will suppress Fusarium head blight at early flower. For more information on Folicur and Stratego in an overall disease management program, visit www.bayercropscience.ca/ fungicides
questions or comments? please call 1-888-283-6847
Seed treatment: An investment that pays What makes the difference between a good crop and a great crop? If wheat and barley prices for the 2009 crop year are anything like the CWB’s Pool Return Outlook predicts, you’ll want to make sure you get the best crop possible this year. And the best place to start is with a seed treatment. “Farmers shouldn’t limit their earning potential by skipping seed treatment,” says Roger Rotariu, Bayer CropScience Seed and Sales Treatment Portfolio Manager. “At only three dollars an acre to get an average seven percent yield increase, using a seed treatment makes great economic sense. And with commodity prices still high, this is another great year to push production and maximize profits.” According to Dan Bardi, Bayer CropScience Seed Treatment and Application Specialist, treating seed is critical because the threat to yield and quality from early season disease starts even before the seed hits the ground. “Farmers who crop larger acres are getting in the fields early,” says Bardi. “Cold soils tend to propagate more diseases like Smut and slow down germination, reducing yield 7 to 10% and limiting the crop’s potential.” It doesn’t take long to see how a seed treatment pays for itself at the end of the season. However, it’s critical that growers know what they are looking for when choosing a seed treatment.
“You want to have the most comprehensive disease coverage possible so read the product label,” he advises. “Make sure you know what the key diseases are – Fusarium in wheat and barley and Smut in barley – and make sure the product is registered for control on all of them.” Seed treatments today are able to control more diseases and are much easier to handle then in the past. Just look at Raxil® T and Raxil® MD. Each one contains two different active ingredients that control a broader range of seed and soil-borne diseases in wheat, oats and barley than ever before. The Raxil formulations provide unparalleled protection from seed and seedling diseases like loose smut and fusarium. When choosing a seed treatment, Bardi recommends finding one that is easy to handle, isn’t messy and flows well in the cold. “The Raxil formulations are by far the best available and they just keep getting
Always read and follow label directions. Raxil ®, Stratego ®, Trilex ® AL are registered trademarks of Bayer. Velocity™m3 is a trademark of Bayer. All other products mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada. 02/09-10634
better,” he says. “Raxil MD contains a new technology called micro-dispersion which replaces flowable suspension. The difference is like water vs syrup. With microdispersion, you know that the seed is getting exactly the right amount of treatment properties.” Because seed treatments are waterbased, there is no messy cleanup like in the solvent-based days of old. “Really, there’s no reason why growers shouldn’t be treating seed,” maintains Bardi. “The treatments wash off so they clean up easily and are so easy to handle. You get better disease control than ever before. It just makes good sense all around.”