Archive Article: 2001/03/23

23 March 2001

IN BRIEF

&#8226 TAKE care using adjuvants with sulfonylurea herbicides on broadleaved weeds this spring, warns DuPont.

They often give little benefit, can add unnecessary cost and could cause crop damage. CMPP or HBN-based products are more cost-effective tank mix partners with products such as Ally (metsulfuron-methyl), says the companys Martyn Rogers.

Most broad-leaved weeds are less responsive to adjuvants than grassweeds, where droplet adherence and penetration is far more of an issue. Adjuvants can cause serious crop damage if used with herbicides containing carfentrazone and a sulfonylurea, such as Ally Express or Platform S, he adds.

&#8226 TWO new NPK fertilisers for spring cereals, potatoes and sugar beet are on offer from Terra Nitrogen. Terra 15:15:20 is a seed-bed product for early-sown spring cereals and maincrop potatoes providing a small amount of nitrogen to boost crop establishment.

Meanwhile, Terra No. 8 (22:8:14) now includes more potash and nitrogen for spring cereals, especially where straw is removed and where higher N malting barley is being grown. It also suits sugar beet and linseed on low N sites.

&#8226 GRASS weed herbicide options for pulses have been extended by the approval of Sceptre (quizalofop-p-ethyl) for use on field beans, combining and vining peas, says Aventis CropScience.

&#8226 WET seed-beds and shallower planting could increase the risk of early potato blight from soil-borne zoospores, warns Syngenta which advocates early treatment with Shirlan (fluazinam) to counter the threat.

&#8226 SEED treatments are explained in detail in the latest edition of the BCPCs A Guide to Seed Treatments in the UK, which includes sections on organic seed, mobile treatment and the International Seed Treatment Association plus labelling advice for seed potatoes and imported seed. The 52-page guide costs £10 incl p&p (0118-934 2727).

&#8226 SEED royalty rates on four wheats, one barley and three pea varieties from CPB Twyford are to be cut by 4-12%. The biggest saving will be on newly recommended winter wheat Biscay, says the firm.

&#8226 GROWING demand for prepared vegetables and fruit is said to be behind a new £1m factory at the Pershore, Worcs, site of Grower Marketing Services. &#42