With growers throughout the southern cropping zone facing more cases of wild oats and annual ryegrass resistance to commonly available herbicides, one option is to switch to a new chemical group as a way to break the resistance cycle.
Nufarm’s pre-emergent herbicide, Avadex Xtra, is a Group E chemical, unlike many of the popular brands of herbicides which are Group A.
“Any weed will develop resistance if repeatedly treated with a product from the same chemical group - it’s just a matter of time. However, at this stage there is no recorded case of wild oats resistance to Avadex Xtra in Australia,” said John Both, R&D Officer (SA), Nufarm Australia Ltd.
“Deliberate rotation of pre-emergent herbicides, which break the chemistry ‘cycle’, is the best weed management strategy to protect against wild oats and annual ryegrass resistance. In this way, too, growers can maintain the efficacy of Group A herbicides on pulse crops and pastures.”
Independent trials in South Australia and other States have shown that a combination of the pre-emergent herbicides, Triflur X (Group D) and Avadex Xtra (Group E) have a complementary action in fighting annual ryegrass and wild oats.
“On a weed like wild oats, Avadex Xtra’s strength comes from targeting the coleoptiles germinating deep in the soil profile, before they fight their way to the surface,” Mr Both said.
“Meanwhile the root uptake of Triflur X provides effective control on many of the shallower germinating weeds, such as annual ryegrass.”
Mr Both recommended a pre-emergent herbicide spraying program as the best way to win the battle against these grass weeds.
“When you have a paddock that is being infiltrated with annual ryegrass or wild oats, you’re risking chronic underperformance.
“The important thing with these weeds is to get on top of the infestation quickly,” he said.
“In the long run it’s far cheaper to confront the situation early before things get out of control and you run into other complications, such as herbicide resistance.
“Pre-emergent herbicides maximise crop yields because they eliminate competition from aggressive weeds during the early, yield-setting stage of crop development – that’s six to eight weeks after emergence.
It’s important to have a product like Avadex Xtra in place and working for you at this time.”
Avadex Xtra is also highly compatible with other leading pre-emergents, and glyphosates such as Credit and Bonus and the proven Roundup range.
“I encourage farmers to talk to their local adviser or merchandise outlet to find out how Avadex Xtra and Triflur X could help maximise crop yields this season,” Mr Both said.
6-Nov-2006
Bogard fungicide available from Syngenta (8-Aug-2008)