Australia
February 3, 2016
One of Australia’s leading pre-emergent herbicides in wheat is now registered for use in lentil crops, offering growers improved weed control and management of resistant weeds, as well as helping to extend the life of other existing herbicides.
Sakura® 850 WG, containing the active ingredient, pyroxasulfone, was first registered in wheat (not durum wheat) and triticale in 2011. It provides long-lasting residual control of annual ryegrass, annual phalaris, barley grass, silver grass and toad rush, as well as suppression of brome grass and wild/black oats.
Prior to last season, the Group K herbicide achieved registration for use in field peas, lupins and chickpeas, with lentils now added to the list of pulse crops on the label in time for the 2016 cropping season.
Bayer Technical Advisor Rob Griffith said one of the biggest challenges in lentils was managing weeds, so it was promising to have one of the most effective pre-emergent herbicides in cereals now available to growers as an option, which would also help alleviate the pressure on Group A post-emergent herbicides.
“With Group A herbicide resistance continuing to develop, reducing the grass weed numbers with Sakura will help provide better control," Rob said. “Trials have shown that by getting on top of weed numbers with Sakura, it can help achieve better results from Group A post-emergent herbicides.
“It is now another option for growers and it can help make other herbicides last longer. They will need to use Sakura responsibly in their crop rotations, but it does provide the opportunity to reduce weed numbers. Growers should try to drive weed seed numbers down to close to zero if they can.’’
Large-scale trials coordinated by Bayer over two years showed Sakura was the most effective pre-emergent herbicide in lentils when compared with alternatives, while it also provided good levels of crop selectivity.
Bayer Broadacre Product Manager James Catherall said the new registration would add valuable flexibility in growers’ crop rotations and, when used as part of effective integrated weed management (IWM) strategies, could help reduce weed seed banks.
“This helps growers to optimise profitability in the short and long term, as well as ensure more sustainable farming practices for the future," James said. “Sakura is now a good fit in this high value crop rotation to help growers effectively tackle their grass weed populations and weed seed bank."
For further information on the use of Sakura in lentils, growers can contact their local sales agent, agricultural advisor or Bayer representative.
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