Potato Review

CHALLENGE TWO: Add Section Control to the speci cation of any new 2021 GB Series planter this spring and if it doesn’t save you more in seed over the next three years than it costs, we’ll refund the license fee in full. 2 Makes life easier with automatic planter control, for example on wedge-shaped areas, and by switching on/off for spraying tracks to save seed / inputs and improve crop quality. www.grimme.co.uk 2 Applies to seed savings over maximum 3 seasons or less and excludes cost of terminals. 1&2 Apply to new purchases for 2021. CHA LENGE T O: A d Section Control to the speci cation of any new 2021 GB Series planter this spring and if it doesn’t save you more in s ed over the next thr e years than it costs, e’ll refund the license f e in full. 2 Makes lif easier with automatic planter control, for example on wedge-shaped areas, and by switching on/o f for spraying tracks to save s ed / inputs and improve crop quality. w.grim e.co.uk 2 A plies to s ed savings over maximum 3 seasons or le s and excludes cost of terminals. 1&2 A ply to new purchases for 2021. NEWS Black-grass resistance to herbicides is getting worse and cannot be reversed - but it can be slowed down according to BASF’s Stuart Kevis. To determine the shift in on-farm resistance, BASF tested black- grass populations on 122 farms in 2013 and again in 2019 to determine how black- grass populations have changed. “Over this relatively short timeframe total resistance, to the main three mechanisms, has increased by 12%, from 46% to 58%,” said Stuart. “However, as worrying as this is, the largest single shift was to ALS inhibitor herbicides, such as mesosulfuron, where RRR resistance grew by 43 percentage points to 78% showing RRR resistance and overall 89% of the total population tested showing resistance to ALS. “This constitutes a huge loss in levels of control, leaving only around 10% of populations susceptible to these types of contact herbicides, something that has been noted in-field by farmers and agronomists over the past few years. ” Dr Sarah Cook from ADAS estimates that the annual cost of black-grass resistance to the UK arable sector equates to £0.4 billion in lost gross profit and 0.8 million tonnes of lost wheat yield. She said: “We can reduce black-grass populations but it’s a numbers game that will take a lot of hard work, changes to cultivation practices and further increasing cultural control. We are on a downward trend of control and an increasing trend of resistance as lack of new modes of action means our control ‘palette’ is getting much smaller. You have to know what you are dealing with on your own farm, don’t go into denial, get a handle on what you have, which necessitates testing for resistance.” BASF plans to launch its new herbicide, Luximo®, in 2021 (‘subject to regulatory approval) which will bring a new mode of action to market according to BASF’s Ali Richards. “As excited as we are about what this new chemistry can achieve, Luximo should not be looked upon as a ‘silver bullet’, we need to promote Luximo as the final part of an integrated weed management (IWM) strategy, working alongside tried and tested cultural controls. Its role should be as a building block that we all need to protect for many future years,” said Ali. The launch will be a collaborative venture between BASF, distribution partners, growers and agronomists. “Talking to people across the industry is one of the most important things we are doing ahead of the launch,” Ali said. BASF has been running a season of ‘Real Results’ virtual farm tours, bringing together growers, advisors and researchers to talk about how control mechanisms are changing. Ali Richards 2021 product launch could slow black-grass

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