Slugs divide country but take care with control
The UK seems to be a ’country of two halves’ when it comes to rainfall and hence slug activity, but wherever you are farming vigilance is always required when applying slug pellets, say ProCam.
The Metaldehyde Stewardship Group guidelines place reliance on the need to maximise the effectiveness and precision of pellet application. The use of high quality slug pellets can also make a huge difference to control levels as well as the risk of water pollution, according to the company’s Dr Tony John.
"ProCam takes these Stewardship Guidelines very seriously and we feel it is vital that the momentum created last year must continue," he says.
"If, as an industry, we disregard to the protection of water, it could easily mean the loss of metaldehyde altogether. We need to do everything we can to ensure the responsible and accurate use of pellets.
"For example, our agronomists are now trapping and monitoring slugs across the UK. This year there are areas of the country with high rainfall and high slug activity, whereas other parts of the country are still very dry."
Differences in slug pressure will mean differences in approach. But growers should be vigilant as the situation can change quickly after a period of wet weather, says Dr John. Winter sown crops need monitoring from emergence onwards, he advises. more
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"Oilseed rape is vulnerable from emergence up to four true leaves and winter cereals from emergence up to the start of tillering."
Slug pellets must be applied precisely, using pest thresholds and fully calibrated machinery. If conditions are such that you wouldn’t spray a pesticide, then you shouldn’t be applying a pellet, he says. Good quality pellets are essential.
"Good quality wet process pellets retain their integrity longer and are more resistant to wet weather. Greater persistency gives them more time to kill more slugs. They spread more accurately and evenly and cover the soil more effectively.
"Wet process pasta pellets, such as TDS Major, don’t disintegrate in wet conditions and are less likely to leak metaldehyde into the soil than dry process pellets."
Poorer quality pellets can even break down whilst spreading and can wash down through the soil, increasing the risk of water contamination. They often need to be applied two or three times, so their use is a false economy, he warns.
"As a reminder the maximum total dose of metaldehyde that should be applied from the 1st August to the 31st December is just 210g active/hectare. This is equivalent to 5kg/ha of TDS Major. For additional protection of water BASIS advisors may recommend rates down to 160g active/ha or less.
"Without proper stewardship of metaldehyde, we could be facing a future without it, a situation which could have dramatic effects on what crops we grow and the overall profitability of arable farming."
