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Innovation Insight Performance in marginal conditions 100 98 96 % Cleaver control 94 92 90 88 86 84 82 80 Cold Normal Provalia LQM 1 l/ha Fluroxypr 135 GA l/ha Spitfire 0.75 l/ha Galaxy 1 l/ha Steve Cook needs a product with a broader weed spectrum. combination had been made possible. But it was only during field testing that all of the benefits of the new technology emerged. “We’d aimed for a product that was stable and easy to apply. It also had to be compatible with a wide range of tank-mixes, including liquid fertiliser, without foaming and be suitable for use on winter cereals. All of these we achieved,” continues Tim Obrigawitch. ▲ Source: Dupont lab study 2015; Spitfire contains florasulam+ fluroxypyr; Galaxy contains clopyralid+ florasulam+ fluroxypyr “But what we noticed in the field was better spreading and adhesion to the leaf with this product. The improved adjuvant properties of the oil dispersion formulation resulted in better weed control.” It was launched first to Canadian farmers in 2015. “It was a huge success –– many of them prefer a liquid formulation and had been looking for a one-can solution. But the market there is mainly for spring cereals.” In Europe, the new formulation is branded as LQM, and the UK growers are set to receive it first this season, following its approval for use late last year –– it’s due for commercial roll-out across other EU countries in 2018. Provalia LQM combines metsulfuron-methyl, thifensulfuron-methyl and fluroxypyr into the oil dispersion formulation. It’s cleared for use in winter wheat and winter barley from 15 March, or GS21 up to GS39. Available in a five-litre pack, the maximum dose is 1 l/ha, which will deliver 5g/ha, 30g/ha and New solution sought for tough weeds Weeds that are proving to be increasingly tough to control in winter cereals are persuading Oxon grower Philip Barber to change his approach. “Wild carrot in particular is becoming a problem,” he notes. “It may be that we underestimated in the past just how much of a good job the old autumn-applied chemistry did. But we’re now finding you need broadleaf-weed control you can rely on in the spring.” Resistant blackgrass dictates much of the Wild carrot grows fast, and if you don’t deal with it, you’ll have large plants competing with the crop. herbicide programme across the 445ha of arable crops Philip Barber grows, based at Friars Farm, near Witney. Clay over gravel gives him ground that can lie waterlogged in the winter but is drought prone during summer months. “We won’t start drilling cereals until mid Oct, and these will always receive a pre-emergence herbicide of flufenacet and pendimethalin, with a bit of diflufenican. We’ll then follow up post emergence with flufenacet to bring it to the full rate for the season, with some extra DFF or PDM. It’s then a question of wait and see what comes through in the spring.” Despite a pretty robust autumn stack, he’s finding an extra application of spring herbicide is a regular requirement. “Cleavers will often germinate, but wild carrot is also becoming an increasing problem. You see it in early spring, and if you don’t deal with it, you’ll have large plants competing with the crop –– it grows fast,” notes Philip Barber. “I’ve tended to deal with it at the T0 timing, and sometimes risked going as late as T1. I’ve found full rate Ally Max SX (metsulfuron-methyl+ Despite applying a robust autumn stack, Philip Barber is finding an extra application of spring herbicide is a regular requirement. tribenuron-methyl) is the only herbicide that’ll touch it. But you still have to come back with something for the cleavers.” This year, he’s planning to try Provalia. “It’ll be interesting to see how it does on the wild carrot. I understand it’s faster acting and will take care of the cleavers. It’s a liquid, that makes things easier. But the nice thing is that it’s a one-can solution that’ll take care of a very specific weed issue I have,” he notes. 30 crop production magazine arable extra march 2017
Innovation Insight 135g/ha of the three actives respectively –– roughly equivalent to mixing Harmony M SX with Starane. “But the new formulation outperforms the same products if you just tank-mix them,” notes Dupont cereal product manager Alister McRobbie. “Its real strength is in marginal conditions, so you can apply it earlier in the season when it’s cold. But equally, at the other end of the season, it performs well on larger, over-wintered weeds –– better than the current SU chemistry.” Improved control Dupont trials from 2012-2015 have shown Provalia at both full and three-quarter rate outperforms fluroxypyr alone against cleavers, and it sits well ahead of florasulam plus fluroxypyr. Studies with pot-grown cleavers under controlled conditions of 5-12°C have also shown improved control of Provalia ahead of competitor products (see chart on p30). Another key difference with Provalia is there’s more flexibility with ALS sequences, adds Alister McRobbie. “Up to now, growers could only sequence two ALS herbicides on a crop. With Provalia, they can use it in sequence on crops where both FPU and Atlantis have been used previously in autumn programmes for control of bad blackgrass –– a real improvement in flexibility for Provalia LQM weed spectrum Species 1 l/ha 0.75 l/ha Charlock S S Chickweed S S Cleavers S S Common hemp nettle S S Corn chamomile S S Corn marigold S S Corn spurrey S S Cut leaf cranesbill S S Fat hen S S Forget me not S S Field pennycress S S Groundsel S S Hedge mustard S S Henbit dead nettle S S Mouse ear chickweed S S Orache S S Pale persicaria S S Parsley piert S S Poppy S S Redshank S S Dupont trials in Lincs in 2015 show the efficacy of Provalia LQM on cleavers (left) compared with straight fluroxypyr at 135 GAI/ha. growers and agronomists.” Provalia also boasts an impressive weed spectrum, he points out (see table below), which takes in polygonums and volunteer oilseed rape. “The fluroxypyr also adds another mode of action against chickweed, where resistance may be an issue.” Iain Learmonth used Provalia in trials last year in both winter wheat and barley. “It’s not a game-changer, but it does improve efficacy, particularly on substantial winter-hardened and normally difficult to control cleavers, chickweed and Species 1 l/ha 0.75 l/ha Scarlett pimpernel S S Scented mayweed S S Scentless mayweed S S Shepherd’s needle S S Shepherd’s purse S S Small flower cranesbill S S Sow thistle S S Volunteer OSR S S Wall cress S S Wild carrot S S Read dead nettle S S Black bindweed S S Creeping thistle S S Knotgrass S S C F speedwell S S Fumitory S S Cornflower S S Pansy S MS I L speedwell MS MS groundsel. It’s a particularly convenient and flexible formulation as well. “It won’t be used exclusively, but prescriptively and well targeted applications from GS32-39 will mean that the headache of dealing with those aggressive and hugely competitive populations that have slipped through the autumn herbicide net, can be dealt with effectively.” Steve Cook has also seen the efficacy of Provalia in last year’s trials and reckons it shows impressive knock down of most of the key broadleaf weeds. He notes there’s a quicker activity on both small and larger weeds, over a broader spectrum of species. “It picked up some weeds not adequately controlled before, such as speedwell and wild carrot. “It’s not just about improved weed control, though –– Provalia isn’t new chemistry, after all. What it offers is a new formulation of actives that we haven’t had before. So it’s the one-can solution, easier mixing and three-way sequencing with other ALS herbicides that’ll be of benefit. It just makes the job of controlling broadleaf weeds in spring that much simpler,” he concludes. ■ Innovation Insight CPM would like to thank Dupont for kindly sponsoring this article, and for providing privileged access to staff and material used to help put the article together. Source: Dupont; S susceptible, MS moderately susceptible crop production magazine arable extra march 2017 31
Page 1: In this issue... Hands-free hectare
Page 4: Am I wrapped up in a bubble? There
Page 8: Disease control Decision support to
Page 11 and 12: winter and new isolates -- Blue and
Page 14 and 15: Fungicide behaviour Bringing new cr
Page 16: Tech Talk According to Jonathan Bla
Page 19 and 20: So do we really want varieties with
Page 22: Weed worries shouldn’t drive spri
Page 26 and 27: Weed control Colin Woodward was fac
Page 28 and 29: Liquid logic has a way with weeds I
Page 32: Spotlight on crop research “ The
Page 35 and 36: across the whole genome, making it
Page 37 and 38: Blackgrass Banbury blackgrass strat
Page 39 and 40: Precision agronomy helping farmers
Page 42: Precision agronomy The 40hp Iseki t
Page 45 and 46: Spring beans and OSR or spring bean
Page 47 and 48: Spring beans The crop’s given a p
Page 50 and 51: Conference grown, the weed control
Page 52 and 53: “ The domestic demand is predomin
Page 54: The new name for a farmer’s frien
Page 57 and 58: Insiders View Chris Guest notes Gra
Page 59 and 60: “ With sugar beet you’re not a
Page 62 and 63: Sugar beet weeds Weed control is on
Page 64: Potato weed control Herbicide treat
Page 67: Opportunity in marginal gains Over

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