Winter wheat growers who failed to apply a herbicide in the wet autumn will have a new spray option this spring to control both grassweeds and broad-leaved weeds.

Pacifica Plus from manufacturer Bayer is a development of the widely used Pacifica, which has been a vital post-emergence grassweed herbicide for many years.

The new product has 30g/kg mesosulfuron and 10g/kg iodosulfuron which provides the grassweed control, while the addition of 50g/kg of amidosulfuron will control broad-leaved weeds, including cleavers, common chickweed, mayweeds and charlock.

See also: Cereal grower to ditch herbicides for inter-row hoe

Ben Coombs, the group’s combinable crop herbicide campaign manager, explains that the new product could be particularly valuable this spring following the difficult autumn, when many crops didn’t receive a pre-emergence application.

“The wide spectrum of activity means growers only have to use one product and spray once to complete the spring weed control programme,” he says. “This will help free up time for the fungicide programme and spring crop establishment.”

The new herbicide can be used from 1 February in winter wheat crops and has the same application requirements as other products in the mesosulfuron family. This means a dry leaf, active growth and calm conditions so that the active substance lands on the leaf and is absorbed by the plant.