WITH weeds costing Australian farmers an estimated $1.5 billion a year in control activities and a further $2.5b a year in lost agricultural production, growers are looking for a way to combat weeds.
Advanta Seeds’ global research team has joined the fight by developing unique canola hybrids with dual or triple herbicide tolerance traits to assist growers with their ongoing important winter cropping strategies.
Control demonstration trials were shown at the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association (WANTFA) Canola Spring Field Day held north of Cunderdin last week, to ensure this technology could be controlled in different cropping systems by growers.
With the pending introduction of TruFlex herbicide technology, potentially for dual and triple herbicide stacks, a review is being undertaken by the Advanta Seeds canola technology development team to investigate effective solutions in controlling canola in various parts of a cropping rotation.
These pro-active demonstrations conducted at the Cunderdin site, highlight both effective and in-effective herbicide or herbicide tank-mixes across eight different canola technologies in four different cropping phases.
The eight different technologies include; Triazine Tolerant (TT), Clearfield and Triazine Tolerant (CT), Clearfield (CL), Roundup Ready (RR), TruFlex (XX), TruFlex and Clearfield (XC), TruFlex and Triazine Tolerant (XT) and TruFlex, Clearfield and Triazine Tolerant (XCT).
These trials demonstrated the effect of 30 different spray combinations across the eight canola technologies resulting in 240 plots.
The herbicides included pre-emergent, post-emergent or late post-emergent options.
Advanta Seeds canola technical manager Karl Schilg said it was important for growers to take a bit more care with crop selection.
“They also have to look at what chemicals will help to eradicate the volunteer canola when it becomes the weed the next year,” Mr Schilg said.
“Hyola XCT is the first in the world to mix all three tolerances in the one breed of canola.”
Mr Schilg demonstrated the different effects chemical batches had over the 240 plots and how the tolerant canola was resisting against certain chemicals.
The resistant canola emphasised the importance for farmers to take care in eradicating their volunteer canola plants the following year and making sure they have the right agronomic advice.
