Game cover crops don’t just happen, but need careful managing, with weed control being an essential part of this management. Dow AgroSciences has responded to queries on their Hotline last year and have now got an extended timing application for the Extension of Authorisation for Minor Uses (EAMU) for the use of the herbicide Dow Shield 400 in crops grown for game cover.
Last year Dow Shield 400 had an EAMU for game cover crops, but it had a cut-off date of the end of May, which was found to be too early. Most game cover crops are drilled in April or May and so will be treated in May or June. Now that this contact herbicide has an extended window to the end of July in the year of application, its use will be a lot more practical for those who want to create a better game cover. Reducing weed pressure will help establishment.
Several different crop species are established each year to provide shelter and food for game birds. Dow AgroSciences have run a series of trials over two years to establish the safety of their advanced clopyralid formulation on a number of commercially available mixes and crop types used in game cover. The screens demonstrate that at 0.25 l/ha of Dow Shield 400 there was no damage on red millet, white millet, sorghum, maize, mustard, quinoa, Gold of Pleasure or borage. Buckwheat suffered minor but transient damage. However sunflowers, red clover and chicory were significantly damaged and should be avoided in any mix. When the dose rate was raised to 0.5 l/ha, white millet, sorghum, maize, Gold of Pleasure and borage were again unaffected, but at this higher dose rate red millet, mustard, quinoa and buckwheat showed minor crop damage.
“Dow Shield 400 controls difficult perennial and annual weeds including creeping thistles, volunteer potatoes, corn marigold, groundsel, mayweeds and smooth sow-thistle. It should be applied at 4 to 5 leaves of the game cover mix.”
“The product was reformulated and re-registered as a double strength formulation two years ago. Its more concentrated formulation and advanced packaging with self-seal technology and no foil has made it easy to handle and makes spraying more streamlined,” says Peter Waite of Dow AgroSciences.
“Dow Shield 400 has full label recommendations for 19 different crops, including swedes, turnips, mangels, bulb onions, broccoli/calabrese, cabbage, cauliflower, fodder beet, forage maize, linseed and Brussels sprouts as well as most cereals and rape and 47 EAMUs, including asparagus, garlic, shallots, chard, spinach, spinach beet, Chinese cabbage, kale, collard, outdoor leafy herbs, outdoor leeks and salad onions. Adding together its label recommendations and EAMU’s, over 66 crops can be treated with Dow Shield 400 now and the list is always growing and evolving,” says Peter.
Other products in the Dow AgroSciences portfolio can also be used in game cover crops including Kerb Flo 500 (propyzamide), Starane 2 (fluroxypyr), Starane XL (fluroxypyr + florasulam) and Starane Gold (fluroxypyr + florasulam) and Thistlex (clopyralid + triclopyr). They are widely used in arable and grass crops, so are easily transferable into game cover crop situations under their EAMU’s.
For any EAMU, growers should obtain a copy of the notice of approval via the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) web site, ADAS offices or NFU.
