As the cereal harvest is about to start in earnest, agronomists are planning their approach to stubble management, by recommending a total herbicide to eliminate important weeds and to prepare for following crops. An independent survey of key agronomists asked what was wanted from a stubble treatment and 70 per cent of these advisors said they wanted to remove strategic weeds in the rotation (such as black-grass), with 63 per cent saying that they were aiming to remove early weed competition to help the next crop establish.

One individual questioned in the survey said that “It’s a hygiene thing. It is important to do it right at the time so that you get fewer issues rolling over into the next crop.”

The survey also indicated that there were some challenges to effective stubble management. Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of those interviewed said that the main challenge they faced was getting effective control of weeds. The second most important challenge cited was lack of time (42 per cent). Once again an individual said “Just getting effective control although you have to do it, it’s about doing it right the first time. You don’t get a second chance.”

The manufacturer Nufarm has developed a new formulation of glyphosate boosted by the addition of 2,4-D, Kyleo. “It is not legal or indeed practical to tank-mix these two actives together as a stubble treatment; yet this unique coformulation, which has been made possible through the use of advanced adjuvant technology, delivers on several vital levels. Firstly it controls everything that glyphosate does … and more. In addition Kyleo controls volunteer oilseed rape, annual nettles, cranesbill, bindweed amongst other broad-leaved weeds. Secondly this formulation is faster than straight glyphosate and rainfast after just one hour,” says Jon Staton of Nufarm.

When asked about Kyleo itself, 84 per cent of agronomists thought it was effective on weeds, 63 per cent said it had good speed of activity and 42 per cent said that it had the ability to control large weeds. One quote from the survey said about Kyleo was “The knockdown speed is much quicker than anything else, so where it’s needed I will definitely use it.” Another said; “It manages those key challenges, if you’re in a bad situation, you can use it to help you out.”

Jon Staton explains that Kyleo brings together two important and well known actives. “But doing this hasn’t been a stroll in the park. It has involved a substantial amount of investment and development time, getting the right proportions of actives, the right pH balance and the right adjuvant technology to make sure both components work to their best effect in a formulation that farmers can use easily. The surfactant actually enhances the performance, making the herbicide more lipophilic and more easily taken up by the plant and giving it fantastic rainfastness in the field. Our formulation technology is top rate and the launch of Kyleo is a testament to this.”

“Being effective on oilseed rape volunteers in stubble make it a no-brainer to apply Kyleo in this situation, but it can also be very useful where there is a mix of grass-weeds and broad-leaved weeds in cereal stubbles. Kyleo is used from 3.0 l/ha on annual weeds such as volunteer oilseed rape up to 5.0 l/ha on perennial weeds” he says.