It is not the easiest of seasons for sugar beet growers, with the reduction in price down to £24/t this year from £31.67/t in last year’s campaign plus the end of EU quotas this year. But those growers who stick with it must go for top yields or else their sums won’t add up. At current prices growers need to maximise their yields in order to be profitable.
New trials work done by AgroChemex, on behalf of the adjuvant company Interagro, show that the use of the specialist adjuvant, Kantor, added into the normal 3-spray weed control programme brought about an extra yield of 9.22 t/ha over and above the same herbicide treatment applied with no adjuvant. “The addition of Kantor to a three-spray standard programme of phenmedipham, ethofumesate, metamitron and triflusulfuron-methyl applied on the 11th of May, the 21st of May and the 30th of May resulted in a final yield of 79.85 t/ha of sugar beet with a sugar content of 17.87%. This is a 13% increase in yield. This compared with the same herbicide programme but without the Kantor where the final yield was 70.63 t/ha and sugar content 17.62%. The addition of Kantor really enhanced the performance of these herbicides and was completely safe to the crop, with no adverse visual impact or effects on plant numbers throughout the trial period,” says Technical Manager for Interagro, Alan East.
The yield response is fantastic and so was the improvement in the actual weed control, says Alan. “The control of black bindweed, fat hen, common fumitory, common poppy and pale persicaria – all problem weeds in sugar beet - was all improved through the addition of Kantor. It helped to improve herbicide activity in dewy and adverse conditions.”
He concludes that with sugar beet at £24/tonne, the simple addition of Kantor resulted in £221.28/ha extra income – well worth having and significantly contributing to potential profitability.
Kantor is based on a unique patented class of agricultural adjuvant chemistry - the alkoxylated triglycerides. It is the unique placement and penetrating adjuvant, enabling quick penetration into the plant. In addition it incorporates a powerful surfactant system which improves coverage of the leaf surface, and a buffer to reduce the pH of spray solutions to around pH 6. This blend gives Kantor both penetrative and spreading properties to ensure top performance of sugar beet herbicides and many other key inputs in arable crops.
It is recommended at 0.15% of the total spray volume. This is 300 mls/ha in 200 litres or 150 mls/ha in 100 litres of water.
