PULSE producers will have another option to control grass weeds with the release of a new herbicide from Adama.
The company has released Ultro, a group E herbicide, for commercial use this year.
The herbicide gives control on annual ryegrass, barley grass and brome grass in pulse crops.
It is a welcome option for pulse producers who have scant options when it comes to pre-emergent grass control.
Adama officials say it will also help preserve the longevity of existing herbicide options by reducing the reliance on them.
The new herbicide is registered for use with faba beans, lentils, field peas, chickpeas, lupins, vetch and broad beans, and can also be used with winter fallows.
Adama Australia general manager of marketing, Stuart Moncrieff, said the new option would be a boon for the growing pulse sector.
"Pulses not only offer a vital disease break, but, with advances in plant breeding, agronomy and weed control strategies, they are also now proving to be a profitable component of rotations," Mr Moncrieff said.
"Weed control in pulses has historically been a challenge due to the poor crop competition and lack of registered herbicide options available to growers and advisers," he said.
"As a group E mode of action pre-emergent herbicide, Ultro introduces an alternative herbicide tool for annual grass weed control, helping reduce the pressure on commonly-used options in grain legumes, such as trifluralin and propyzamide.''
Ultro has been trialled throughout Australia's winter cropping regions since 2013.
"Trials have been conducted in a wide range of soil moisture and rainfall situations across a range of soil textures and we have been extremely happy with the results and versatility of Ultro,'' said Adam Australia market development manager, Victoria and Tasmania, Alistair Crawford.
He said the fact it required less moisture to activate than other herbicides made it more suitable for use in low rainfall zones, where pulse production is growing rapidly with improved varieties better suited to drier conditions or in years with a marginal seasonal break.
"Soil moisture is critical to activating pre-emergent herbicides and commencing weed control," Mr Crawford said.
"Ultro requires less rainfall and soil moisture to activate than some industry standards, which is why we have seen strong results when conditions can be less-than-ideal at planting.''
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
