Potato growers are juggling with fewer herbicides and lower dose rates, yet they still need to remove weed competition early and effectively. New trials data, along with commercial usage, has demonstrated that, when mixed with residual herbicides, the specialist soil adjuvant BackRow will enhance weed control on many key weeds, allowing potato crops to emerge that much quicker and get off to a good start.
Independent trials demonstrate the positive benefit of using BackRow with all the popular and widely used pre-emergence potato herbicides, Alpha Linuron (now Linurex), Defy (prosulfocarb), Sencorex (metribuzin) and also with combinations of these residual herbicides, says Alan East, Technical Manager for Interagro Ltd.
"Growers are struggling to get to the level of weed control they were used to with PDQ (diquat and paraquat) and linuron. In particular the alternative contact treatments are weaker on Annual Meadow-grass, so we are relying more on the residuals for the control of this damaging weed. BackRow has raised the level of control of this weed in all its residual mixes, giving them that vital extra push they need," says Alan.
"Another problem that growers are having to contend with this year is the new lower maximum dose rate for linuron of just 600 gms.ai/ha (equivalent to 1.2 l/ha for a 500 gm/litre formulation). At this low dose rate linuron has become a mixer product and its performance needs to be maximised by the inclusion of a specialist soil adjuvant such as BackRow," says Alan.
"A series of replicated trials show that the addition of BackRow to 0.5 l/ha of Alpha Linuron increased the level of Annual Meadow-grass control from 87% to 94%, the level of Fat-hen control from 88% to 94%, Groundsel from 83% to 92% Mayweed from 80% to 83% and Pale Persicaria from 75% to 83%. Similarly when BackRow was added to 4 litres/ha of Defy the control of Annual Meadow-grass improved from 91% to 95%, for Fat-hen control from 95% to 99%, Groundsel from 92% to 95% Mayweed from 89% to 93% and Pale Persicaria from 79% to 84%. Similar additive results were seen for Artist (metribuzin and flufenacet), Sencorex (metribuzin) and for mixes of Artist and Defy and linuron and Defy in potatoes."
"Based on a unique blend of non-ionic surfactants, emulsifiers, sticking agents and specialist oils, BackRow has been specifically designed to optimise coverage and deposition of pre-emergence herbicides onto the soil surface. Its use ensures that its partner residual herbicide is uniformly distributed over the soil surface and is kept within the upper soil profile where the weeds are most active. It also binds the herbicide firmly onto soil particles, reducing the risk of leaching and increasing herbicide persistency," explains Alan East.
"It works with any herbicide that act through roots and shoots and also when weeds have yet to emerge. It works well on light, medium or heavy soils but is not recommended on very light soils such as coarse sands, sand, fine sand or loamy coarse sand. In the spring, It is recommended at a dose rate of 400 ml/ha, irrespective of water volumes and is particularly effective at low water volumes. BackRow will also reduce the number of fine spray droplets below 100 microns, and so minimises drift and improves the spray pattern," says Alan.
BackRow is suitable for use with a range of pre-emergence herbicides in potatoes including linuron, metribuzin and prosulfocarb and also in beans including clomazone, linuron, pendimethalin, pendimethalin and imazamox and prosulfocarb. It is approved