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In the October edition
- Autumn weed control in oilseed rape
- Instinct®: Smarter autumn nitrogen management
- Biostimulants: The next step in seed technology
- Maize harvest insights: PACTS® progress and provisional results
- News and views from the Corteva Team
- Update your communications preferences, enter our monthly prize draw, plus ways to earn IASIS points
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Autumn weed control in oilseed rape
Belkar®
As oilseed rape continues to grow and establish with the mild autumn, now is the perfect time to apply Belkar, delivering robust control of broad-leaved weeds such as cleavers, cranesbill, fumitory, poppies, shepherd’s purse and more.
With the mild weather, there are some big crops of winter oilseed rape about. We’ve seen no decline in control from Belkar, even when applied to crops with a canopy cover exceeding 90%.
Weather-resilient performance
If the weather becomes more typical for autumn, Belkar has good flexibility for application conditions including working at temperatures as low as 2°C and rainfast in an hour. View the Belkar Technical Information Sheet for more information.
Flexible application rates
0.25 l/ha from GS12 (2 leaves unfolded) up to 0.5 l/ha from GS16 (6 leaves unfolded, from 15th Sept onwards).
Tank mix flexibility
Belkar can be tank mixed with graminicides for volunteer cereals and Astrokerb for extended weed control. Please refer to our Tank Mix Sheet for full compatibility.
Astrokerb® and Kerb® Flo
As soil temperatures begin to fall, it’s time to plan your propyzamide applications for effective control of black-grass, ryegrass, brome, and key broad-leaved weeds in winter oilseed rape.
- Contains propyzamide + aminopyralid
- As well as grass weed control, Astrokerb provides effective control of ALS-resistant poppies, mayweeds, cleavers, chickweed and speedwells
- Contains propyzamide
- Approved for use in winter beans and OSR
- Controls grass weeds and a range of broad-leaved weeds including black bindweed, fat hen, knotgrass, speedwell
Application timing, stewardship and best practice
- Apply when soil temperature at 30cm is below 10°C and falling
- Moist soils are essential for herbicide movement into the root zone
- Avoid waterlogged conditions
- Apply at the right rate, right conditions, right time
- 750g ai/ha for good control
- 840g ai/ha for robust control in heavy infestations
- Use the Kerb Weather Data traffic light system to guide timing decisions
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Instinct®: Smarter autumn nitrogen management
While many growers across Ireland have taken advantage of the favourable weather to begin cereal drilling, applying Instinct now can be a smart investment for fields following late-harvested crops or where a delayed drilling schedule has been chosen to support weed control.
Autumn brings unique nitrogen management challenges:
Warmer, wetter autumns and unpredictable rainfall events (often 20–30mm in 24 hours), increase the risk of nitrogen loss from leaching and denitrification. Crops with limited root networks struggle to absorb nitrate, and only 30kg N/ha is typically allowed in the autumn, making every unit of nitrogen count.
Why Instinct is essential now:
- Keeps more nitrogen in the soil for longer: Instinct contains Optinyte™ technology, a proven nitrification inhibitor that slows the conversion of ammonium to nitrate by inhibiting Nitrosomonas bacteria. This keeps nitrogen in the ammonium form, which is less prone to loss and more accessible to crops.
- Reduces environmental losses: Over 40 years of research shows Instinct can reduce leaching by up to 48% and NOx gas emissions by 25–50%. Trials in the UK demonstrated a 30% reduction in nitrogen loss in 2024.
- Boosts crop performance: Instinct has delivered an average yield response of 7% globally. In autumn trials, winter wheat treated with Instinct before drilling and followed by slurry incorporation saw a yield uplift of 0.2 t/ha.
Application advice:
- Apply Instinct just before or with your main fertiliser or slurry application. For best results, incorporate into the soil mechanically or ensure 12mm of rainfall within 10 days of application. Instinct typically stabilises ammonium for 10–12 weeks, with longer protection as soils cool into November.
Instinct consistently keeps more ammonium in the soil compared to untreated areas - trials when soil cores have been taken and analysed have shown double the ammonium in Instinct-treated fields.
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Biostimulants: The next step in seed technology
Biostimulant seed treatments, such as Ympact®, go beyond protection, they actively enhance plant growth and resilience. Inspired by nature and developed using advanced nutrient technology, Ympact contains humic and fulvic acids bonded with key micronutrients (zinc, copper, manganese) essential for early plant development.
How Ympact works
- Optimises nutrient uptake: Ympact’s molecular complex delivers nutrients and energy directly to the seed, supporting metabolic activity during germination.
- Speeds up emergence and improves vigour: Trials show faster, more uniform plant establishment, even in suboptimal seedbeds.
- Enhances root and shoot growth: Improved root systems help crops access water and nutrients, vital for resilience in dry or wet conditions.
- Fortifies winter hardiness: Ympact supports carbohydrate formation before winter and vegetative regrowth in spring, helping crops withstand frost and recover from stress.
Find out more about Ympact, read the product page on our UK website.
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Maize harvest insights:
PACTS® progress and provisional results
As the maize harvest rolls on across our PACTS (Pioneer Accurate Crop Testing System) trial sites, data analysis is now well underway bringing us closer to understanding how this season’s hybrids have performed under commercial conditions. These trials, conducted on farms using standard farming practices, are a cornerstone of our commitment to helping growers make informed, data-driven decisions.
PACTS trials are designed to evaluate maize hybrid performance across a range of environments. Each trial typically consists of 12 to 21 plots, planted and harvested by host farmers with support from Pioneer staff. By replicating actual field conditions, including local climate, soil variability, and typical agronomic treatments, PACTS trials generate reliable, practical insights into yield, quality, and consistency.
This year’s provisional results (see table below) already offer valuable indicators of hybrid performance, with dry matter, starch content, and digestibility metrics being closely examined.
Stay tuned as we continue to analyse the results and share findings that will guide hybrid selection for the season ahead.
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*These results are provisional as of 14-10-2025.
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News and views from the Corteva Team
As you may have seen in the news, Ed Barnatt has been appointed as Corteva’s new UK & Ireland Country Leader and started in this role on October 1st.
Ed, who was most recently the UK & Ireland Crop Protection Commercial Sales Manager, succeeded Will Corrigan, who has taken on a global role as Product Manager for Pasture & Land Management Herbicides in Indianapolis. Learn more about this transition in the recent press release, and get to know Ed in his new blog below.
We’ve also added a few other team profiles this month. To help you connect with the people behind Corteva, we’ve asked each of them a few key questions about their journeys, roles, and what inspires them.
Click on each name to explore their stories:
And keep an eye out — we’ve got more inspiring profiles on the way!
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Want to hear more from us?
Update your preferences and tailor your choices to make sure you receive the communications that are right for you. Don't forget to enter into our monthly prize draw by ticking the box before submitting to be in with the chance to win!
You can also stay in the loop with all the latest updates by following @CortevaIE on X and Facebook.
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Ways to stay in touch
Area Manager and National Technical Manager: Liz Glynn, 00353 (86) 844 5306. Visit our website www.corteva.ie for product information, labels and advice.
Our hotline team are on hand to answer any queries or concerns you have.
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10 IASIS points will be awarded to those subscribing to this Agronomy Update.
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USE PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS SAFELY. Always read the label and product information before use. For further information including warning phrases and symbols refer to label. ®, ™ Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. All other brand names are trademarks of other manufacturers for which proprietary rights may exist. All manufacturers tradenames and trademarks are duly acknowledged. © 2025 Corteva. Belkar® contains halauxifen-methyl (Arylex™ active) and picloram. Astrokerb® contains aminopyralid and propyzamide. Kerb®Flo contains propyzamide. Instinct® contains nitrapyrin. Ympact® contains Fulvic Acid, Humic Acid, trace elements including Copper (0.45%), Manganese (0.74%), Zinc (1.1%), Boron, Cobolt, Sodium.  | | | | |