New solutions for forage brassica weeds and pests

AG CHEM New solutions for forage brassica weeds and pests

Weed competition can have a significant detrimental effect on brassica yield from very early in the growing season. WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE

Corteva™ Agriscience has farmers covered with a suite of post emergence forage brassica herbicides that provide a solution for all situations and have made their mark as reliable and trusted options in this category.

Milestone™ Milestone is the newest forage brassica herbicide from Corteva Agriscience, approved for use in NZ in 2019 and replaces T-Max in this crop. Milestone contains two active ingredients— aminopyralid at 60 g per litre and clopyralid at 276 grams per litre. Both are well-recognised and widely used, and there is no other formulation of this type registered for use in forage brassicas in NZ. The biggest benefit compared with T-Max is crop safety, this was a key focus during the development stage of the product. In developing this new formulation, Corteva have been able to safen the product, which is fantastic. T-Max has a strong following, and works well, but it’s been known to cup crops and cause a growth check which can look pretty severe in the early stages of establishment. Milestone has some very significant advantages in that respect, and through multiple crop safety trials proved its strength in this area. Milestone is also the ultimate solution for hard to control weeds in forage brassica and its broad spectrum includes difficult weeds such as amaranthus, spurrey, water pepper, thistles and many more. It’s a double strength formulation as well, so recommended rates are half that of T-Max, with some nice handling, mixing and storage benefits for everyone in the supply chain. So where does Milestone fit? In general terms, anyone who has been using T-Max up until now can make a straight upgrade to Milestone. Also, anyone who is looking for a product that delivers broad spectrum weed control in forage brassica, without impacting crop health will find Milestone is the perfect solution.

Brassica Pests When pests like diamondback moth, white butterfly, looper caterpillars or aphids threaten forage brassica crops, timing is critical. Caterpillar pests can do significant damage to leaf area within a short space of time resulting in reduced yield potential. Aphids transmit plant viruses and their feeding points provide entry wounds for diseases which can severely damage plants or even kill large areas of forage brassica crops. Ideally your first line of defense at this time of the season will be a population of beneficial insects, providing natural protection against white butterfly, diamondback moth caterpillars and aphids. Species such as brown lacewing, ladybird beetles, hoverfly, parasitic wasps, predatory mites and beetles will collectively play an important role in protecting your brassica crop from pest flare ups and damage through until grazing. Monitor your crop closely for both pests and beneficial insects and if caterpillar and/or aphid populations do flare up and require treatment use insecticides with minimal impact on beneficial insects such as Sparta™ and Transform™ from Corteva Agriscience. Sparta works by contact and ingestion to provide ‘best in class’ control of caterpillar pests in forage brassicas. Translaminar activity ensures good control of insects feeding on the underside of leaves. Transform is a contact and systemic insecticide that provides rapid knockdown and moves within the plant to protect new untreated growth, an important benefit during the main growth season. Transform’s high level of systemic and translaminar activity resists wash-off and provides extended aphid control for up to 21 days. This residual control provides ongoing protection from aphids re-infesting the crop. Alone or in combination Sparta and Transform are ideal tools for control of key insect pests in forage brassicas. Both products have excellent environmental and toxicology profiles, providing a high level of safety for applicators. New Zealand farmers rely heavily on aerial applications for effective pest control, whether it’s hill country or remote crops, and scenarios where wet ground conditions or tall crops cannot be covered by ground-based equipment. In these situations Transform and Sparta are two of only a few IPM friendly options registered for aerial applications, providing farmers and applicators an opportunity to move away from old SP & OP technology, to new chemistry that’s better for the crop, the environment and them. For more information contact your local Ruralco Representative.

ABOVE: Fathen treated vs untreated BELOW: Aphids BELOW LEFT: Fathen at ideal time to spray