Welcome to the Corteva Agriscience
Forage Agronomy Update
These regular technical notes are a seasonal commentary to help those interested in improving grassland and forage productivity on dairy, beef, sheep and equestrian enterprises.
You can claim 2 BASIS and 2 NRoSO points for subscribing to this email update.
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Water volumes and the role of Drift Reduction Nozzles | Sycamore seedlings in equine paddocks | Timing your dock control | Using Envy to control buttercups and dandelions | The key weeds to control in newly sown leys | Principal Forte & Dragster | Kinsidro Grow+ | Planting maize after grass with LumiGEN Insecticide Bird Repellent treated seed | New Pioneer maize hybrids launched for 2024 | Increase profitability with silage inoculants | Events | FAQs | BASIS and NRoSO points
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Water volumes and the role of Drift Reduction Nozzles
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Corteva Agriscience supports a water volume down to 200 litres/ha if the appropriate Drift Reduction Nozzle is being used.
Benefits of using a Drift Reduction Nozzle:
- Typically these nozzles offer a 75% reduction in spray drift
- They support a reduction in aquatic buffer zone for LERAP B rated products (3-Star Rating)
- Improved spray coverage on target weeds
- Enhanced product performance by ensuring more of the active ingredient reaches the target
- Potential for a greater area treated per spray tank
- Up to 50% reduction in water used
See the Spraying Low Water Volumes in Grassland video in the ‘How To’ section of the Corteva Forage App. If you haven't downloaded the app yet, you can do so here.
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Sycamore seedlings in equine paddocks
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Springtime typically sees flushes of sycamore seedlings in pony paddocks. Some sycamore seedlings contain the toxin, hypoglycin A, which when eaten by horses or ponies, can cause the sometimes-fatal condition equine atypical myopathy.
Sycamore* is not a label weed for Corteva’s grassland herbicides, but spot treatment with Grazon® Pro or a boom spray with Doxstar® Pro will give control of sycamore seedlings. For paddock owners who do not hold sprayer qualifications, then the product SBK Brushwood Killer will give good control. Alternatively, you can employ a spray contractor to treat paddocks with a professional use herbicide.
Horse owners need to be aware of the consequential extended grazing intervals needed following the treatment of sycamore seedlings. As with the chemical weed control of ragwort, it is necessary for the weed to have died and rotted down completely before animals graze the field again. Please note that toxins have been reported as being found in dead plant material as long as 6-8 months after treatment.
*Any recommendation for off-label or anecdotal control is only indicative and should not be considered a recommendation for use on the part of Corteva Agriscience. The user assumes full responsibility for use on these weeds.
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Docks start to show active growth once temperatures reach 8oC. They become a more vibrant green and less waxy. For optimal control, wait until overnight frosts and/or cold nights have passed and sustained active growth has begun.
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Cold affected docks - hold treatment until active growth is seen
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Apply Doxstar® Pro at a rate of 2.0 litres/ha once docks have reached the size of a dinner-plate (approx. 20cm across). If treating grass ahead of a silage cut, allow a minimum of 21 days, but delay 28 days after application before cutting to secure optimal control.
Chickweed and dandelions are also controlled from an application of Doxstar Pro.
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Using Envy to control buttercups and dandelions
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Buttercups become a significant problem in aging pasture where sown grass species are losing their vigour and where soil structure and drainage is poor.
Buttercups can be a skin irritant, causing contact dermatitis in livestock, and can also cause stomach irritation. As buttercup populations increase, grazing animals become less selective in their grazing which can increase the risk of these conditions. As with all perennial weeds, the best time to spray buttercups is before flowering in the spring.
Dandelions can also be a troublesome weed in some grassland fields. They tend to colonise areas where grass has been overgrazed and soil fertility is low. Although dandelions are palatable to stock, they are relatively poor in terms of nutrition. Their presence can reduce the overall productivity of pasture. Similar to buttercups, the best control for dandelions is achieved with a pre-flowering treatment.
Use Envy® to control both buttercups and dandelions.
The advantages of using Envy:
- Envy is very safe to grass
- Contains florasulam, which enables good control in cooler temperatures
- It can give over 85% control of buttercups and dandelions
- It has a short stock exclusion of just 7 days (allow 14 days where high populations of buttercup are present)
- Use Envy in established grassland at 2.0 litres/ha in 200 to 400 litres of water per hectare
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The key weeds to control in newly sown leys
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Once grasses have reached the 3-leaf stage, check whether a herbicide spray is needed to remove any seedling annual weeds, such as chickweed and redshank, as well as seedling perennials such as docks and thistles.
For best results, apply when weeds are small and actively growing. It is more economical and effective to treat weeds at this stage than wait for them to establish and treat when they are bigger.
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Where there is a wide range of weeds growing in a newly sown grazing ley, including seedling thistles and spring-germinating polygonums, treat with Leystar® due to it’s broader spectrum of activity.
Where docks are present in a newly sown ley, and regenerating from dock root fragments, treat with Envy®. Apply Envy at a robust dose rate of 1.5 litres/ha.
When compared with straight fluroxypyr, both Leystar and Envy offer control of many more weed species and work far better if conditions are still cool.
Fat-hen is a common weed in new sown leys. Where Leystar is being used for weed control in these crops, be aware that fat-hen is not a label weed. Control of fat-hen is variable and not complete. Some control may be seen in fat-hen but only up to the two leaf stage.
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Principal Forte & Dragster
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Principal® Forte and Dragster® are two NEW post-emergence herbicides that control a wide range of grasses and broad-leaved weeds. They exhibit rapid contact action, causing susceptible plants to cease growth almost immediately after application. Additionally, they come with few following crop restrictions. Both Principal Forte and Dragster are Water Dispersible Granule formulations, which require application with an adjuvant classified as 95.0% w/w oil (rapeseed triglycerides).
Principal Forte will control fat-hen, common amaranth, field pennycress, barnyard grass, green bristle grass, hairy fingergrass and couch grass*, and many other weeds.
- Product Registration Number: MAPP 20797
- Dose rate: 480 g/ha + adjuvant
- Active Ingredient: 510 g/kg of dicamba + 62 g/kg of nicosulfuron + 31 g/kg of rimsulfuron + 31 g/kg isoxadifen safener
- Pack size: 2400g, each pack will treat 5 ha
- Apply from 2 to 9 leaves unfolded (BBCH 12-19) between 1st May and 31st July
Dragster will control fat-hen, black bindweed, redshank, barnyard grass, hairy fingergrass, couch grass* and many other weeds.
- Product Registration Number: MAPP 20396
- Active Ingredient: 148.15 g as/kg rimsulfuron and 92.6 g as / kg thifensulfuron-methyl and 111.1 g/kg isoxadifen safener
- Dose rate: 135 g/ha
- Pack size: 405g in a 500g container, each pack will treat 3 ha
- Apply from 3 to 8 leaves unfolded (BBCH 13-18) between 1st May and 31st July
*Suppression of common couch top growth, reduction of growth in the following year has not been established.
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Stress mitigation and building tolerance to pest and disease control in maize using Kinsidro Grow+
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Kinsidro® Grow+ is a humic based substance containing humic and fulvic acids and is derived from sustainably grown Nordic pine forests. During manufacture, the unique and patented extraction method yields a consistently high-quality product with a high fulvic acid concentration. Kinsidro Grow+ is highly concentrated with a conveniently low application rate of 0.15kg/ha.
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The humic substances in Kinsidro Grow+ are bonded with essential macro and micronutrients that affect the biological activity of plants, activate enzymes, increase the amount of chlorophyll, improve the efficiency of photosynthesis, as well as stimulating cell division, growth and development of roots, shoots, and leaves. In activating enzymes that produce antioxidants, Kinsidro Grow+ can neutralise excess reactive oxygen species produced in stressed plants that will cause cell damage, death, and reduced plant growth. Applied at growth stage BBCH 21-32 in maize, Kinsidro Grow+ will mitigate against early plant stress caused by herbicide applications or weather conditions in the early weeks after establishment.
Polyphenols are important molecules produced by a plant and are responsible for disease resistance. Amongst many other functions, Kinsidro Grow+ helps stimulate the production of phenolic compounds, improving disease and pest tolerance in maize.
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Planting maize after grass with LumiGEN Insecticide Bird Repellent treated seed
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When sowing maize following a crop of grass, the risk that the previous grass crop was infested with wireworms must be considered. Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle. The larvae grow up to 25mm in length and are orange/brown in colour with a narrow, segmented body, biting jaws and three pairs of short legs behind the head.
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Wireworm on the base of a maize stem
Background
Wireworms are the larvae of three species of click beetles; Agriotes lineatus, A. obscurus and A. sputator. The life cycle is typically five years and it is the more mature larvae that cause the greatest crop damage. Symptoms will include non-emergence of seedling, stunted plants, holes at the base of the maize stem as well as yellow and twisted leaves. The wireworms are easily found by digging up the soil. Pioneer® offer LumiGEN Insecticide Bird Repellent treatment on certain hybrids; P7179, P7326, P7034, P7381 and P7948. Some protection against wireworm is provided by this seed treatment option.
Risk factors:
- Fields that have been in leys for four years or more.
- Fields in all arable (no-grass) rotations.
- Porous, well-drained loam soils.
- South facing fields are more inclined to be infected than north facing fields.
- Minimum tillage supports higher wireworm populations than conventional tillage.
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New Pioneer maize hybrids launched for 2024
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P7381: New to the UK for 2024, P7381 is an impressive Pioneer hybrid which exhibits very early maturity and has demonstrated high yields in PACTS trials across both favourable (38.2%) and less favourable sites (37.5%). Notably, it has shown resilience in both dry conditions (2022) and cooler conditions (2023).
P7647: Another desirable very early maturity hybrid, P7647 promises high yields of both silage and grain. Tested on both favourable and less favourable sites, it has consistently maintained its yield and dry matter advantage on less favourable sites.
P7364: After four years of testing, P7364 is now available to UK growers. This tall, early maturity hybrid boasts good early vigour and excellent standing ability. It performs well on both favourable and better less favourable sites.
P7655: An exciting early hybrid, P7655 demonstrated the highest starch content of any hybrid after its first year of PACTS testing. With extra high-quality yields and very good lodging resistance, P7655 is an excellent choice for favourable locations.
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Increase profitability with silage inoculants
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Our comprehensive proprietary range of silage inoculants have been developed to reduce dry matter losses and improve silage quality. Whether you are making grass silage in cool challenging environments or maize silage in ideal conditions applying the most appropriate Pioneer silage inoculant can make dramatic differences to your profitability. You can see the full range in page 8-9 of our PACTS 24/25 book.
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Team Corteva thoroughly enjoyed exhibiting at Kent Farm Expo 2024 earlier this month. We had insightful conversations with many of you about our innovative solutions and appreciated you sharing your experiences. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited the Corteva stand to say hello!
Stay tuned for the next edition to find out where we’ll be next!
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Q: How long after spraying a ley with either Forefront T or Pastor Agronomy Pack for dock, nettle and thistle control can I oversow species such as clover, sheep burnett, trefoil, lucerne etc in order to establish a Herbal Ley?
A: Wait 4 months after the use of Forefront T or 6 weeks for the Pas·Tor Agronomy Pack unless it is late in the year when it would be better to delay oversowing until the following spring when the soil is warmer and oversowing success is likely to be higher.
Q: Will Envy control all species of buttercups?
A: Yes, Envy controls meadow, creeping and bulbous buttercup, although effects on bulbous buttercup are likely to be reduced.
Q: When can I use Leystar on a newly sown ley?
A: Leystar can be applied to a newly sown ley from the 3 true leaf stage, between 1st February and 31st August but the grass must not be cut for animal feed, fodder or bedding, nor for composting or mulching until 12 months has lapsed following treatment.
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2 BASIS points (1 crop protection and 1 personal development) will be awarded to those subscribing to the Forage Agronomy Update.
2 NRoSO points will be awarded for subscribing.
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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 Corteva Agriscience Limited and its affiliated companies. All other brand names are trademarks of other manufacturers for which proprietary rights may exist. All manufacturers trade names and trademarks are duly acknowledged. © 2024 Corteva. Grazon® Pro/Spot contains clopyralid and triclopyr. Doxstar® Pro contains fluroxypyr and triclopyr. Envy® contains fluroxypyr and florasulam. Leystar contains fluroxypyr, clopyralid and florasulam. Principal® Forte contains nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, dicamba and isoxadifen. Dragster® contains rimsulfuron, thifensulfuron and isoxadifen. Kinsidro® Grow+ is an organo-mineral fertiliser with micronutrients and fulvic acids (with potassium). Forefront® T contains aminopyralid and triclopyr. Pas®·Tor® Agronomy Pack contains clopyralid, clopyralid, fluroxypyr and triclopyr.
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