Life in Life Scientific…
Welcome to the March edition of the Life Scientific Newsletter.
With the challenging weather of the last two months, we are being asked about tank-mixes and sequences of our products as growers are keen to get spraying as soon as they can.
We have lists of tank-mixes that we support for physical compatibility on our website and the app. These are being constantly updated as we get more results from tank-mix tests from the laboratory so please check the most recent lists.
We do not test our tank-mixes for effects on the crop so be cautious if using tank-mixtures on soft or stressed crops.
NEW JOINT APPLICATIONS FOR SUMIR
We are continually working to ensure that our product labels meet our customers’ needs.
An example of this is the addition of some significant new joint applications which have been added to the label for SUMIR, a highly active ALS-inhibitor herbicide containing florasulam (HRAC Mode of Action Group 2) , which can control annual broad-leaved weeds in cereals such as cleavers, chickweed, mayweeds and volunteer oilseed rape.
A joint application is the tank-mix or sequence of 2 ALS-inhibitor herbicides. In order to use two ALS-inhibitors on a cereal crop, the joint application must be authorised by CRD and is for specific named products only. Following authorisation from CRD, SUMIR may now be used in joint application with one of the following:
Boudha (M19537), Broadway Star (M18273), Dakota (M19179), Ergon (M19580/20656), Hamlet (M17370), Hiatus (M16059), LAYA (M19016), Nautius (M18838), Savvy Premium (M18461/20642) or Spitfire (M19945), or with one of the ALS-inhibitor products previously authorised on the SUMIR label. For the full list of authorised joint applications for SUMIR, check the product label on the Life Scientific website.
Any joint application must comply with all directions for use or restrictions for each product label, and users must ensure that the products are authorised for use on the crop.
15th MARCH
It is always important to read product labels to check the authorised earliest timing for application.
15th March is important for our product, LAYA, a very effective sulfonyl urea herbicide containing metsulfuron-methyl for use in wheat, barley, oats and triticale, and on green cover on land not being used for crop production.
LAYA is a reverse-engineered formulation of the reference product, Ally SX. It contains metsulfuron-methyl, the reliable all-rounder for control of a range of broad-leaved weeds, and can be applied to winter cereals after 15th March as long as weed size, crop condition and environmental conditions are appropriate.
For spring cereals and green cover on land not being used for crop production, LAYA can be applied from 1st April.
As with any sulfonyl urea, best activity is when weeds are small and actively growing and, as previously mentioned for SUMIR, always check the label for authorised joint applications if using in tank-mix or sequence with another ALS-inhibitor herbicide.
MAIZE REMINDER
As we start to think about maize drilling, it is important to check the regulatory status of products that you intend to use. Life Scientific’s product BASILICO contains mesotrione, a useful active ingredient for weed control in forage and grain maize, which can be used from 2 to 8 leaves of the crop. BASILICO has been successfully re-registered and has a new MAPP number, MAPP 19927, which replaced MAPP 18028.
Getting good weed control in maize is critical. Weeds compete with the developing maize plants for light, water and nutrients and can quickly smother the crop as it develops. Competition from weeds is most damaging to maize in the early stages, so it is important to use an effective herbicide programme, ideally within the first six weeks of the crop’s growth.
Depending on the site, it may be useful to begin with a pre-emergence herbicide which can act as an insurance.
However, this must be followed by an effective post-emergence application targeted at the specific weeds which come through, ideally when weeds are small and actively growing.
BASILICO, applied at 0.75 L/Ha, controls a wide range of broad-leaved weeds, and is effective against Fat-hen, Redshank and Black-nightshade, three of the most important weeds in maize.
BASILICO is taken up quickly into the weeds, mainly by foliar activity, but care must be taken with application to ensure good coverage of the target. See the product label for detailed information and weed spectrum.
SPECIALITY CROPS
Life Scientific is continuing to invest in products for speciality crops. We now have products covering uses on a wide range of fruit, vegetables and ornamentals, including the following:
Throughout 2024, we will keep you updated with developments of our products in these speciality areas. Check the product labels for specific approval information.
NEW FOR 2024
This spring sees the launch of the latest cereal fungicide to our range – FLEXURE. The product combines the strengths of active ingredients from two different fungicide groups, prothioconazole from FRAC group 3 – DMI fungicides, and spiroxamine from FRAC group 5 – amines (“morpholines”).
Whilst in the same overall FRAC group as morpholines, spiroxamine is in its own unique chemical group – the spiroketal amines. Both DMI’s and amines work by affecting sterol biosynthesis in membranes, but there is no cross-resistance between the groups according to FRAC’s website.
With the loss of approval of morpholines such as fenpropimorph and fenpropidin in GB, spiroxamine is the remaining active ingredient from group 5.
When first launched, spiroxamine was known to have good activity on rusts and powdery mildew, like the morpholines, as well as having activity on other diseases such as Rhynchosporium and Net blotch.
Trials are ongoing at ADAS Boxworth to investigate the efficacy of the product against modern mildew strains. Results are expected soon.
