A recent label extension means cereal growers can use the grassweed herbicide Alpha Trifluralin 48EC (trifluralin) up until the end of tillering, Makhteshim Agan has announced.

This could see the product used through to the end of March and will give growers greater spray timing flexibility and help avoid resistance issues by allowing them to “mix and match” actives, claimed the firm’s Jackie Passey.

“In previous seasons, growers have utilised pendimethalin as a post-em component in a grassweed herbicide programme. Now they have the option of using Alpha Trifluralin 48EC as well in the later spray.

“A typical programme could utilise a pendimethalin-based product at the pre-em stage, with Atlantis [mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium] and Alpha Trifluralin at post-em,” she suggested.

All other formulations of trifluralin are only approved for use before growth stage 14 (fourth leaf stage) in cereals, Mrs Passey noted.