Adjuvants essential for boosting pesticide performance this spring

Like much of the country, cropping area is much lower than usual at present in south Lincolnshire, which is causing some major concerns for growers, according to Agrii agronomist, James Grantham. “We’re massively down on winter cropping area with about 30-40% drilled at best, and OSR is non-existent for a number of reasons.”

With little activity over winter and ahead of the usual spring flush of weeds, James is anticipating a much more severe weed burden this year. “On several farms that I know have blackgrass issues, there hasn’t been much evidence of it so far this season which is concerning.

“There’s then the issue of poor seedbeds to consider. If this bad weather continues, when the soil finally settles there could be a lot of extra pressure.”

With everything resting on spring crops, James believes that including adjuvants – such as Backrow and Kantor – within the crop protection regime will help growers get the best out of their crops this season.

“I think the main thing to remember about adjuvants is that their purpose is to make pesticides work better.”

“One of the best things about Backrow is that it helps keep a more uniform spray pattern and therefore results in much better coverage.”

If cloddy seedbeds do prove to be problematic, Backrow will be a benefit there too, he adds. “Backrow helps to make the spray droplets more uniform which results in improved coverage around the clods.”

Backrow’s proven ability to keep herbicides in the upper layer of the soil could also be a welcome aid to many growers this spring. “Keeping products in the kill zone for longer means they won’t wash down through the soil profile too quickly and will keep the active where the weeds are germinating for longer. In situations with high blackgrass pressure, that will be very beneficial.”

When it comes to Kantor, James has been largely using it as a penetrative solution. “Kantor helps weed control products stick to the crop better and as a result it enables herbicides to penetrate into the leaf more effectively. In situations where the leaf is particularly hairy, for example, this will help to improve contact and uptake.”

James also adds that it’s an incredibly safe product and seems to minimise the impact of potentially harsh herbicides on the crop. “For example, mixing Kantor with bentazone in spring beans doesn’t hit the crop anywhere near as hard. It also helps target moderately susceptible weeds better.”