Maize growers could benefit from greater flexibility in the weed control department with a new dual-herbicide product from agrochemicals giant Syngenta this season.

The new product, Camix, boasts a combination of pre- and post-emergence herbicides mesotrione and S-metolachlor for application before crop emergence to clean up seed-beds or in the early stages of crop emergence to tackle a broad range of weeds.

Maize is renowned for being highly uncompetitive, so it is vital that the crop is kept free of weeds in the early growth stages to achieve strong establishment and avoid an underdeveloped plant canopy that will ultimately hamper yields.

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Syngenta’s maize field technical manager, Steve Bull, says growers should aim to use the product as a pre-emergence spray so the crop can emerge into a clean seed-bed, but adds that it offers useful flexibility if work is held up.

“If application is delayed by weather or logistics, or if some or all the crop emerges faster than anticipated, Camix can still be used to knock out existing weeds, and give outstanding residual control as the maize crop establishes.”

Camix can be applied at pre-emergence or in the early stages of growth in maize

For this reason, Mr Bull expects the product to be particularly handy for busy maize contractors, where hectic workloads over a large area can make accurate herbicide application timing tricky.

He notes that the herbicide partners in this new product offer good control of annual grassweeds, which benefits the wider arable rotation, and also tackles the competitive broad-leaved weeds that commonly blight maize fields.