Contributing to the debate about what to do to control winter bean volunteers in cereals, now that straight CMPP-P can no longer be used in the autumn, Dow AgroSciences can offer two contact-acting alternatives to growers this autumn, Broadway Star or Boxer.
Which one you use depends on the other weeds that you are coping with, says James Knight, cereal herbicide marketing specialist for Dow AgroSciences.
"Last year more beans were grown because of the poor planting conditions for both rape and wheat and consequently we will have a bigger volunteer bean problem to contend with in following cereal crops. Because beans germinate from depth, you need a contact-acting herbicide. In the past growers have tended to tackle this weed problem with straight mecoprop in the autumn, but that option is no longer possible and so many are seeking alternatives," points out James.
"In trials both Boxer and Broadway Star have given very good levels of control of volunteer beans of a good size. The sporadic nature and the fact that volunteer beans tend to grow in clumps has meant that this problem weed isn’t on the label of these products, but we are confident of our herbicides excellent performance. The choice of which herbicide to use depends on the other weeds in the field and the cereal crop you are growing."
Containing the active ingredients pyroxsulam and florasulam, Broadway Star is a contact-acting herbicide that controls wild-oats, rye-grasses, brome and a range of broad-leaved weeds including cleavers, chickweed, field pansy, speedwell, Geranium species, mayweeds, poppy, charlock and volunteer rape in all varieties of winter wheat. It can be applied in the autumn or spring between one true leaf (Growth Stage 11) and second node detectable (Growth Stage 32). You need actively growing weeds and an approved adjuvant for it to work to its best effect. So if you are treating difficult grass-weeds such as brome or rye-grass this autumn and you have a difficult range of broad-leaved weeds including volunteer beans, Broadway Star is a good choice, according to James Knight.
"If on the other hand you have just difficult broad-leaved weeds including volunteer beans and volunteer rape, Boxer is the better choice. Based on florasulam, Boxer can be used in wheat, barley and oats from three leaves of the crop onwards at a dose rate of 75 mls/ha. Along with volunteer beans, it will control cleavers, chickweed, hedge mustard, mayweed, Shepherd’s purse, runch and volunteer rape, all widespread and difficult autumn weeds," advises James.
