14 FARM NEWS FEB / MAR 2021 • farmers-mart . co . uk
PRE-EM HERBICIDE TREATMENTS BOOST SUGAR BEET YIELDS
WITH sugar beet growers facing their first full season without desmedipham , 2021 could be the year in which the sector witnesses a resurgence in the use of metamitron and quinmerac-based pre-emergence herbicides such as Goltix ( 700g / l metamitron ) and Goltix Titan ( 525g / l metamitron and 40g / l quinmerac ).
That is according to Bill Lankford , Herbicides Technical Specialist at ADAMA UK , who advises that as well as giving weed control an early season kickstart , the inclusion of a pre-emergence treatment as part of a sequenced herbicide programme can also boost crop yields by 7.5 to 21 tonnes per hectare .
“ With desmedipham no longer available , sugar beet growers aren ’ t entirely able to depend on post-emergence treatments alone to achieve the necessary level of weed control ,” Dr Lankford explains .
“ Herbicide programmes will therefore need a little more thought this year . Unfortunately , the choice of pre-emergence herbicides is currently somewhat limited as a result of the revocation of chloridazon and the removal of pre-emergence usage from the lenacil label .
“ Thankfully , Goltix and Goltix Titan are more than capable of filling the gap , with the inclusion of quinmerac in the latter providing excellent protection against several of the more difficult to control weeds such as cleavers , orache and bindweed .”
Because modern sugar beet varieties are so quick to germinate , pre-emergence herbicides should ideally be applied within 24-48 hours of drilling and certainly within an absolute maximum of five days post-drilling Bill adds .
Whilst Dr Lankford recognises there might be some reticence in terms of adding a pre-emergence treatment to spring herbicide programmes – due to the additional input cost , extra workload and the need for adequate soil moisture to make pre-ems work effectively – he believes that the pros often outweigh the cons : “ Crucially , the inclusion of a pre-emergence treatment as part of a wider weed control programme can significantly improve final crop yields ,” he explains .
“ In fact , trials have shown that the addition of Goltix Titan at the beginning of a sequence of preand post-emergence treatments can contribute to yield improvements of 7.5t / ha to 21t / ha over untreated plots . That alone is enough to warrant its inclusion but there are other benefits as well , not least the ability to create some latitude in the timing of post-em treatments .”
Including a pre-emergence herbicide also offers potential advantages in terms of workload management : “ Applying a pre-em to crops located far from the farm or to land where wet conditions will delay the application of a post-emergence treatment enables these crops to be protected ahead of time ,” Bill adds .
“ Similarly , using a pre-emergence treatment should also be considered on land with a high weed burden ( either in terms of difficult to control species or sheer population of weeds ) or on crops which may not receive a post-em treatment at the ideal timing due to contractor commitments .”
Goltix and Goltix Titan can also be used as early post-emergence treatment . For more information , visit www . adama . com / uk or speak to your agronomist .