Published on 06/08/2025
And that means ticking all the management boxes, from pre-emergence herbicides to plant growth regulators, says Nufarm technical specialist Sonja Vreugdenhil.
“Great results begin with a good setup. Yield protection starts even before sowing, and lasts throughout the life of the crop.”
Step one? Avadex Xtra, a residual thiocarbamate (Group 15) pre-plant incorporated pre-emergence herbicide, for selective wild oat control plus suppression claim of ryegrass in wheat.
Sonja says Avadex Xtra provides the additional benefit of a resistance management programme.
“Avadex Xtra offers an ‘old’ solution reinvigorated to manage an all-too-common problem, resistant weeds. To ensure nothing slips through the cracks, Avadex Xtra should always be used in a programme with another herbicide to ensure complete control of grass weeds.”
Wild oats and ryegrass have both had resistance cases recorded against Group1 and 2 herbicides Wild oats resistant to Group 1 herbicides were found in four of five regions surveyed between 2019 and 2023 by FAR in conjunction with AgResearch, with the highest percentage of resistance recorded in Mid Canterbury.
A single farm surveyed had wild oat sresistant to both Group 1 and Group 2 herbicides.
For broadleaf weed control, products such as Nufarm Image (Group 4 and 6), Trimec (Group 4), Duplosan Super (Group 4), Duplosan KV (Group 4) and Agritone 750 (Group 4) are widely used to minimise weed competition from weeds.
“All are best applied to small, actively growing weeds prior to the crop reaching stem extension,” Sonja points out.
Once weed competition is removed, it is essential to safeguard yield using fungicides and plant growth regulators.
Fungicides like Joust (prothioconazole, Group 3), Tazer (axoxystrobin, Group 11) and Hornet (tebuconazole, Group 3) are excellent mix partners as part of a disease management programme.
“Plant growth regulators are the final piece of the puzzle to ensure yield is protected.
“Stabilan 750SL (chlormequat-chloride) helps shorten the internode length in both wheat and barley, reducing the risk of lodging in crops.
“Applied at GS30-32 it can help to reduce the risk of lodging; growers of intensive crops can use Stabilan 750SL to optimise nitrogen inputs for yield.”
For more detail contact your agronomist or Nufarm business development manager.