New herbicide for maize growers

A pre-emergence herbicide for use in maize crops has its UK debut this month, as Bayer CropScience launches the company's first product developed specifically for maize.

Cadou® Star is a co-formulation of flufenacet, one of the most important modern cereal herbicides, and isoxaflutole, an active ingredient new to the UK which boasts a good track record of performance in maize crops around the world.

"The combination of flufenacet and isoxaflutole provides growers with a highly effective herbicide for early control of a wide range of broad-leaved and annual grass weeds," explains product manager Tim Holt of Bayer, "in either forage or grain maize.

"Cadou Star provides a valuable alternative to atrazine," he says. "Since atrazine was withdrawn from use in the UK in maize, the only option for pre-emergence weed control in the crop has been pendimethalin.

"Cadou Star offers a much broader spectrum of weed control and more reliable residual action under difficult weather conditions.

"Last season a record 135,000 hectares of maize was grown on UK farms and the maize area looks set to increase further in 2007," he continues. "Effective inputs are important in order to help maximise yield from the additional land resource being allocated to growing forage maize."

Pre-emergence timing is particularly important for establishment and early growth of maize, since young maize crops are less competitive than at the later development stages. Growth can be severely inhibited if weeds are not adequately controlled.

"A practical option for many maize growers, Cadou Star must be applied pre-emergence of the crop and ideally within four days of drilling," Mr Holt adds. "Unlike post-emergence treatments, it means you can just drill and spray, whereas if you have to wait for the crop and weeds to reach the required growth stages, the weather may not allow you to spray at the optimum time."

Simon Draper of the Maize Growers' Association reports that Cadou Star has already performed well in the UK. "We have tested Cadou Star in trials over the last two years and it has consistently given good pre-emergence control across a wide range of weed species and sites."