Early focus on weed control in cereal crop and assessing current weather conditions can ensure success later on.

With an early harvest this season following dry weather, these conditions can affect farm management plans and herbicide strategy for newly drilled cereal crops. With warm temperatures and good growing conditions for weed emergence, ensuring a well-planned, cost-effective start to grass and broad-leaved weed control in cereal crops this autumn is vital for growers in achieving best crop establishment to maximise yields later in the season. Identifying key weed problems, careful planning of product choice and stacking of residual herbicides for targeting pre-emergence and post-emergence weed control will help give growers the best start for successful weed control.

Clayton offers useful, versatile options and product choices for the autumn. Growers targeting effective control of problem Broad-leaved weeds such as Common Chickweed, Speedwells, Forget-me-not, Field Pansy, Groundsel, Mayweeds, Red Deadnettle, Cranesbill and Black Nightshade should consider using products based on high-performance and cost-effective actives like flufenacet and diflufenican.

Leading products Clayton Facet XL and Clayton Sabre XL are powerful co-formulations containing flufenacet and diflufenican, which can be used in winter wheat up until ‘before third tiller stage’ (GS 23) and in winter barley until before GS 24. They can form vital elements of overall frontline Blackgrass control programmes for UK growers, as well as providing control of other grass weeds, including Annual meadowgrass.

The benefits of early weed control are well established.

Early-season weed control is vital for establishing cereal crops successfully. Weeds compete with emerging crops for light, soil moisture and nutrients, so can severely damage yield potential in the early stages. Tackling weeds effectively before crop emergence and in the first 7-10 days after crop emergence will protect against yield losses. For certain weeds, including blackgrass, there are very few effective post-emergence herbicides, so tackling these weeds early is vital.

Typically, as few as 10 blackgrass plants/m2 can lead to a potential 5-10% yield loss in winter wheat, so cultural control and targeted chemistry are essential in effective blackgrass management strategies. Practices like delaying drilling date allow stale seedbed techniques to be used pre-drilling, helping to provide a better platform for pre-emergence herbicides. Sufficient soil moisture is important for blackgrass germination and the efficacy of residual herbicides, so cultivation techniques should be managed accordingly. Best practice for good performance from pre-emergence herbicides is to ensure a consolidated seedbed, without trash or too many clods. Effective timing (applying pre-ems within 48 hours of drilling) will further improve overall product performance. Product choice remains vital to tackling blackgrass on farm with ‘residual stacking’ of core active ingredients often necessary to manage populations effectively.

Effective residual stacking is vital.

Tank mixes or sequencing (where several products are applied in close succession) are more effective at controlling grass weed populations than individual products. Residual modes of action are vital for effective blackgrass control and pre-em options are less affected by resistance issues than some post-em options. AHDB research has highlighted previously that flufenacet can be used effectively as a key active to start blackgrass control programmes with and other actives are then necessary to maintain good levels of control.

Our flufenacet co-formulated products Clayton Facet XL, Sabre XL, Aspect XL are all formulated to a high quality in the UK, and offer a great start point for weed control this autumn. The herbicide stack should be tailored according to the specific farm and field situation to maximise overall control levels based on the individual weed burden and spectrum, assessing the need for broad-leaved weed control as well as grass weed control.

Product Profiles – Quick Guide

Our products provide good choice and flexibility for target treatments this autumn right across the pre-emergence, early post-emergence or late post-emergence timing slots.

Clayton Facet XL, Sabre XL, Aspect XL

• 400g/l flufenacet and 100g/l diflufenican
• Crops: winter wheat, spring wheat, winter barley and spring barley.
• Use rate: apply at up to 0.9 l/ha (as a split dose*) for pre-emergence and post-crop emergence use. *0.6 L/ha until 31 March in the year of harvest and 0.3 L/ha after 31 March in the year of harvest.
• Target weeds: Annual Meadowgrass, Common Chickweed, Common Field-speedwell, Forget-me-not, Field Pansy, Groundsel, Mayweeds, Red Deadnettle (all Susceptible) and Blackgrass (Moderately Susceptible).

Take a look at our autumn cerealscereal herbicides product range below:

For information on other supporting products Clayton is able to offer growers or find more information on our range of cost-effective herbicides for weed control in cereals this season visit www.claytonpp.com

For more information on our full range of products for weed control in cereals this autumn, please get in touch with our commercial and technical team.

William Ridgwell – Commercial Manager – will@claytonpp.com
Martyn Rogers – Product Development Manager – martyn@claytonpp.com