Backrow creates barriers against weed burdens

Poor, cloddy seedbeds and a lack of residual herbicide applications are among some of the biggest issues facing North Lincolnshire-based agronomist, Stuart McDowall, this spring. “For me, blackgrass is one of my biggest concerns. Very little residual herbicides have gone on, and now we also have the challenge of controlling spend on crops that may produce very moderate rewards.”

With one eye on costs, and the other on getting the best out of already challenged cropping areas, Stuart says he’ll be promoting the use of adjuvant, Backrow, this spring. “I predominantly use it at pre-emergence, though will include it at peri-emergence if pushed to that stage.”

With Backrow designed to push the performance of herbicides, one of the main benefits Stuart has noticed from using it is improved weed control. “Backrow seems to create a protective barrier so any spring – or late autumn weeds – have to push through that – meaning you definitely see an improvement in control. Particularly in the case of later season broadleaf weeds, they seem to be targeted better when using Backrow.”

There are also crop safety benefits, he adds. “When seedbeds aren’t perhaps as you’d like them to be – which we anticipate this season – Backrow seems to make application and uptake more even, meaning you don’t do as much as damage to the crop.”

With improved uptake of herbicides, this also helps to overcome some of the key environmental challenges associated with chemical usage. “If you’ve got something that you can include that reduces losses, this means you get less leaching,” explains Stuart. “Less leaching, of course, means a reduced risk of actives entering water courses.

“As well as this, from a completely financial perspective, this means that growers are getting more for their money, too.”

Kantor in the mix

Another adjuvant in Stuart’s armoury this spring will be Kantor, largely because of its drift-reducing abilities, he explains. “For me, Kantor is an amazing product. It reduces drift dramatically in a tank-mix and in situations where that tank-mix is quite large, Kantor can help with availability.”

If you’re spraying in catchy weather, Kantor also appears to improve rainfastness, adds Stuart. “In a time of unusual weather patterns, if you get an unexpected shower an hour after you’ve been out in the sprayer, you can rest easy knowing that Kantor will have helped to retain the product better.”

This spring, Stuart plans to use it at all timings to improve product retention and to promote better uptake and activity. “With new chemistry coming forward, being able to squeeze another 5-10% out of the active during every application can only be a good thing for minimising resistance issues.”