Brome buster doing well in trials
Brome buster doing well in trials
By Andrew Blake
NEW grassweed herbicide Monitor (sulfosulfuron) is performing better than last year in the Velcourt Arable Farming demonstration which went live on farmers weeklys FWi web-site last week (Arable May 11).
"The most exciting thing at the moment is the brome control we are getting," says Velcourt technical director Keith Norman, who oversees the plots originally intended for viewing at the cancelled Cereals 2001 event.
The product, launched this spring, was tested last season in the companys trials. "Last year, when we had only sterile brome, we saw much more of a bonsai effect." The weeds continued to grow but did not seed.
"This year it is completely different," Mr Norman enthuses. "With meadow and rye brome we have had a complete kill."
The demo is comparing full (25g/ha) and half dose post-em treatments, with and without Avadex (tri-allate) pre-emergence, against IPU + Fortrol (cyanazine), also with and without Avadex.
"One 25g shot has certainly done a very good job."
That and the initial half dose was applied at first node (GS31) on Apr 14. Even sterile brome plants are yellowed, he says. Plans are to apply the second half dose in the run up to flag-leaf emergence (GS33-37).
The initial effects of both approaches were much the same. But with the second split yet to go on Mr Norman expects to see increasing differences. "There will be a certain amount of recovery after the half dose.
"People tend to think there is just one type of brome, but there are different species and Monitor is more effective on meadow and rye brome. On sterile brome it still has more of a bonsai effect." *
BEATINGBROME
• Velcourt Cereals 2001 demo.
• Varied Monitor treatments.
• Good meadow and rye species kill.
• Stunting effect on sterile type.