6 February 2026

Gearing up for spring: tackling early weed pressures in cereals

Growers are reminded not to overlook the importance of early-season weed control in cereals.

Despite a cold and wet start to the new year, residual herbicides were applied early, in warm, dry conditions last autumn, and are therefore likely to lose efficacy sooner than expected.

With residual chemistry running out of steam and spells of mild weather encouraging continued weed emergence, timely intervention will be critical.

Weed pressure is currently variable across the country. Fields that missed residuals are showing significant populations of ryegrass, bromes, wild oats and annual meadow grass, and should be prioritised once conditions are suitable.

Even in cleaner fields, where residuals were applied, new flushes of bromes, ryegrass, wild oats, and challenging broad‑leaved weeds are already breaking through as residual persistence declines and soil disturbance from recent weather stimulates further germination.

Close monitoring is essential as residual activity falls, grass weeds and broad-leaved weeds must be controlled early to prevent yield loss.

Conditions may be difficult today, but spray windows can appear quickly at this time of year. Early applications, when weeds are small and actively growing, is often the most effective strategy for best results. Growers should be prepared to treat fields at the earliest opportunity when fields are travelable and weeds are actively growing.

To help tackle these challenges, we launched Broadway^® Ultra in 2025. The product combines two of the most effective grassweed herbicides, pyroxsulam and mesosulfuron-methyl, enabling arable farmers to control a wide spectrum of grass and broad-leaved weeds in a single pass.

Broadway Ultra applied at 100g/ha delivers 14 grams of each active per ha, in an easy to use, wettable granule.

Growers will know that pyroxsulam provides excellent grass and broad-leaved weed control, but there is also a synergistic effect with the mesosulfuron, which brings in control of chickweed, sow thistle, shepherd’s purse and meadow grass. Good control of rat’s tail fescues has also been reported.

Meadowgrass control from Broadway Ultra. Somerset, 2025.

Getting the best results out of Broadway Ultra.

Applications may be made in winter wheat and triticale from 1 January until the middle of May. Growers should use it at a rate of 100g/ha in combination with an approved adjuvant.

It’s quite a wide window of application, but we always advise growers to treat weeds early when they are small and actively growing. These conditions can often occur in late January and early February, so growers need to be prepared ahead of the season.

On-farm use in 2025 demonstrated the benefits of this approach, removing grass weed competition early while also controlling a broad spectrum of broad-leaved weeds.

The product delivers greatest value where residual programmes have been compromised, leaving higher levels of grass and broad-leaved weeds to tidy up in the spring.

With excellent crop safety and a long tank-mix compatibility list, Broadway Ultra offers spray operators the flexibility to apply alongside a wide range of ALS herbicides from both Corteva and other manufacturers.

Broad‑leaved weeds including cleavers, volunteer beans and poppies are also emerging now. Where these are already sizeable, consider tank mixing Zypar^® with Broadway Ultra. Alternatively, a Zypar application at T0 can be a cost‑effective option for controlling difficult broad‑leaved weeds early and is far more effective than waiting for temperatures to rise to use phenoxy or SU chemistry against a larger weed.

The grower takeaway – insights from 2025 product use.

✅ Strong grass weed control, especially brome and ryegrass.

✅ Reliable performance in dry conditions.

✅ Ideal for headlands and problem areas.

✅ Flexible option where autumn control has been missed.

✅ Proven results that growers come back to.

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Further reading and resources:

Broadway Ultra product page: www.corteva.com/uk/broadway-ultra .
Zypar product page: www.corteva.com/uk/zypar.
For further information contact your local Corteva area manager or our hotline team on 0800 689 8899, or e-mail: ukhotline@corteva.com.

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