Safe herbicide use in late-drilled crops
3rd January 2024
Autumn storms disrupted wheat drilling so there may be some very late drilled wheat crops in the ground this January. Bayer has issued guidance on the rules for using herbicides in these crops.
“We’ve seen in other wet autumns that some farmers will drill in the middle of winter if conditions seem promising,” says Bayer campaign manager, Tom Chillcott.
“The key date is 1st February. Any wheat variety drilled before this date is classed as a winter crop for which there are more herbicide options available than for spring crops but check labels carefully for the exact rules.”
Mr Chillcott stresses that label rates often apply to winter wheat varieties drilled before 1st February only. Spring wheat varieties, even if they are drilled in January have a more limited range of chemistry available.
For Bayer products, Liberator & Proclus (aclonifen) is still permitted as a pre-em until the end of January. However, the Liberator (flufenacet + diflufenican) component can be applied at full rate (0.6-litres/ha) until 31st March or GS23 and products containing metribuzin can be used until GS25.
