Potato growers are juggling with fewer herbicides and lower dose rates, yet they still need to remove weed competition early and effectively, according to new research.
New trials data has demonstrated that, when mixed with residual herbicides, the specialist soil adjuvant BackRow will enhance weed control on many key weeds, allowing potato crops to emerge that much quicker and get off to a good start.
Independent trials demonstrate the positive benefit of using BackRow with all the popular and widely used pre-emergence potato herbicides, Alpha Linuron (now Linurex), Defy (prosulfocarb), Sencorex (metribuzin) and also with combinations of these residual herbicides.
Alan East, technical manager for Interagro Ltd, said: “Growers are struggling to get to the level of weed control they were used to with PDQ (diquat and paraquat) and linuron. In particular the alternative contact treatments are weaker on Annual Meadow-grass, so we are relying more on the residuals for the control of this damaging weed. BackRow has raised the level of control of this weed in all its residual mixes, giving them that vital extra push they need.
“Another problem that growers are having to contend with this year is the new lower maximum dose rate for linuron of just 600 gms.ai/ha (equivalent to 1.2 l/ha for a 500 gm/litre formulation). At this low dose rate, linuron has become a mixer product and its performance needs to be maximised by the inclusion of a specialist soil adjuvant such as BackRow."
BackRow is suitable for use with a range of pre-emergence herbicides in potatoes including linuron, metribuzin and prosulfocarb and also in beans including clomazone, linuron, pendimethalin, pendimethalin and imazamox and prosulfocarb. It is approved for use in potatoes, beans and peas.
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