Nufarmer 2006 Autumn - Pest Genie

Monza: the flexible choice for
brome and barley grass
L
ate seasonal starts in the drought
conditions of the past few years
have seen many grain growers
unable to utilise a knockdown phase for
weed control prior to sowing, increasing
their reliance back on pre-emergent and
post-emergent herbicides.
In addition, many farmers in the
southern and western wheat belts have
dropped pulse and canola crops from
their rotations to grow cereals on cereals.
This has ruled out the option of using
triazine herbicides (Group C) in the
break crops for weed control.
As a result, infestations of brome and
barley grass are becoming a serious
problem in wheat crops where farmers
are not utilising the best available tools
to control them early.
“Controlling brome and barley grass
weed burdens is essential to avoid
significant yield losses in wheat and
triticale,” said Damien Deckert, Business
Manager.
“These weeds are noted for their
aggressive competitiveness and prolific
seed production. Taking steps to avoid
them ‘getting away’ by treating them
early before sowing or at the 1-4 leaf
stage can mean the difference between
sowing or not sowing a profitable crop.”
Mr Deckert said that fortunately in the
past eight years growers have been able
to choose the proven performance of the
selective Group B herbicide, Monza ®2 .
“Monza offers growers the f lexibility
of both pre-emergent and post-emergent
application and is an effective and
reliable herbicide for the selective
suppression of brome and barley grass
in wheat and triticale,” said Mr Deckert.
“It works by being absorbed by the
foliage and roots and moved through the
plant. As Monza is a Sulfonylurea, it
blocks the production of essential amino
acids required for production of proteins
used in root and shoot growth.
“Monza gives farmers the ability to
sow on time and to finish the season with
cleaner grain samples, minimal grading
losses and improved returns from
significantly increased yields.
“Monza also has good activity on a
number of other troublesome weeds
including wild oats, wild radish, wild
turnip, silver grass and mustard species.”
Treatments with Monza significantly
reduce populations of brome and barley
grass in crop with remaining plants
showing reduced panicle size and
numbers, plant height, tiller numbers and
seed production.
“Nufarm is committed to providing
products of superior quality that add
significant value,” said Mr Deckert.
“The research and development team at
Nufarm is continuing the necessary trial
work to expand the number of compatible
herbicides listed on the label and to
provide in-field advice so that weed
efficacy and yield responses are
maximised,” he said.
Calculate the benefits with the
Monza wheel
Now, growers and agronomists have an
easy to use calculator to demonstrate the
financial advantages of using Monza.
Intervix set to impress
Nufarm is set to launch an
exciting new product for the
winter cropping season.
Intervix is a new generation herbicide
developed for CLEARFIELD ®3 canola
that was previously trialled under the
code name ‘Euro Lightning’.
“The launch of Intervix has been
eagerly awaited by growers who want
to take advantage of the benefits of
CLEARFIELD canola with increased
f lexibility,” said Business Manager for
CLEARFIELD crops, Damien Deckert.
“Intervix is a Group B herbicide so it
can be used strategically in rotation to
prolong the effectiveness of other
herbicides.”
Mr Deckert said that Intervix offered
growers of CLEARFIELD canola
significant benefits over standard weed
control treatments.
Agronomist Richard Stecher (left) uses the
Monza wheel to calculate the benefits of
weed control for farmer, James Castles.
The Monza wheel calculates
the potential grain yield saved by
controlling weeds early with Monza,
using data provided by the South
Australian Research and Development
Institute (SARDI).
Growers can obtain their calculator by
contacting their local Nufarm reseller.
“If you’re planning to use Monza this
season, grab a calculator to see the
benefits in terms of crop yields and
improved returns,” said Mr Deckert.
“Intervix will offer safer plantback
intervals compared to OnDuty ®3 and
Clearsol ®3 , providing growers with
greater confidence that crops following
CLEARFIELD canola will reach their full
yield potential,” he said.
“The extensive local research and
development trial program at Nufarm
has confirmed that Intervix provides
more powerful weed control compared
to OnDuty, especially on key grass
weeds.
“This means that growers can expect
even higher levels of performance on
yield robbing weeds, which means
cleaner crops and higher financial
returns,” said Mr Deckert.
Intervix will be distributed via Nufarm
AgriCentres ®3 and will be available in
limited quantities this year packed in 10
litre containers.
Nufarmer Autumn 2006
9