Reading Time: 3 minutes Water cleanliness should be a top priority for producers when considering water quality for spray operations, according to Manitoba provincial weeds specialist Kim Brown.
Water contaminants can tie up active ingredients in herbicides, rendering them ineffective.
Dirty water sabotages spray control
Spraying without clean water is a great way to send money down the drain
Drones are ready to go spraying but regs haven’t kept up
Larger drones now a viable alternative but federal rules don’t allow spraying crop protection products
Reading Time: 4 minutes A single drone can fly into rough terrain and spray herbicide on hard-to-reach patches of weeds. Fly three of the largest in tandem and they have the airborne equivalent of a 100-foot spray boom, say proponents, with a cost one-quarter to one-third that of a 100-foot boom. Welcome to the world of drones that can […] Read more
Know your timing between spraying and swathing
Reading Time: < 1 minute The industry association Keep it Clean reminds that insecticide and fungicide applications must meet pre-harvest interval (PHI) requirements, which is the minimum acceptable number of days between applying a product and swathing or straight-cutting the crop. While most fields are still several weeks away from PHI being an immediate concern, pre-planning maximizes options. Keep it Clean’s […] Read more
Weather swing prompts questions on spray water quality
Many areas have seen significant changes in water quality, which can affect the impact of herbicides
Reading Time: 2 minutes You may think you know what to expect when drawing water for the sprayer. That assumption may come at a cost, says expert Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix Research and Training. Swings in weather, from drought last year to wet this year, can affect water quality, said the author of the popular blog, Sprayers 101. “Things […] Read more
Water quality can make a difference on herbicide efficacy
Glyphosate in particular is prone to being tied up by hard water, which may be more common this year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Water quality can change after a drought — and that can affect the efficacy of your herbicides. “It’s well known that there are certain things in water — chemicals, salts, metal cations — that can antagonize the spray,” said well-known spray expert Tom Wolf. “With much lower water levels, it’s conceivable that those antagonists will […] Read more
Avoiding residues is now two clicks away
Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers can ensure the chemical sprayed on their canola or pulses won’t leave unacceptable residues by adhering to the pre-harvest interval — or PHI — found on the product’s label. Often referred to as the “spray to swath” interval, the PHI is the number of days that must pass between spraying pesticides or desiccants and […] Read more
Don’t forget about residue limits before you harvest
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you’re still considering pre-harvest weed control or a desiccation product, don’t forget about maximum residue limits. “Producers need to ensure they adhere to the pre-harvest interval which is the time from applying a product until it is either swathed or combined,” said Nevin Rosaasen, policy and program specialist with Alberta Pulse. Detailed information on […] Read more
It’s the time of year when crop scouting pays big dividends
Weed escapes, herbicide resistance, disease, and pests can all be assessed after spraying, says expert
Reading Time: < 1 minute Spray, then scout, says provincial crop specialist Mark Cutts. “It is very important to recognize that scouting after a herbicide application is vital to weed control, said Cutts. “In the majority of cases, producers will find that the chemicals have worked. However, in certain situations, field scouting may show the weeds weren’t properly controlled. Producers […] Read more
Another hangover from last year’s dismal weather
Pea leaf weevil have been spreading north and last summer’s wet conditions will give them a boost this year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Research shows that treating pea seed with a systemic insecticide product is the most effective control measure to prevent pea leaf weevil damage. Legume crops such as field peas and fababeans produce most of the nitrogen they need, but pea leaf weevils “greatly compromise” that process, said provincial crop specialist Neil Whatley. The pest showed […] Read more
Did your spraying do the trick?
If weeds survived, you need to figure out what went wrong so you can avoid a repeat
Reading Time: < 1 minute Field scouting after herbicide application can lead to more successful crop production. “In the majority of cases, producers will find that the chemicals have done their job” said provincial crop specialist Mark Cutt. “However, in certain situations, field scouting may show the weeds weren’t properly controlled.” If so, figure out what went wrong. “A difference […] Read more
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