Potato Review

42 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2023 WEED CONTROL New herbicide trials show promise F MC UK Technical Leader Gareth Jones said: “Following a relatively easy autumn trial season in which residual products have generally worked well, Iso ex is showing good levels of e cacy.” Working with biological systems is complicated and there is inherent variability in eld trials depending on a range of factors including weed germination and application timings, but he said the active has been giving good levels of control on both grass and broadleaf weeds. New product trials by FMC that are being run across the country are demonstrating strong performance of the herbicide active Iso ex, in what the business hopes will be the nal year of testing prior to its authorisation. Trial sites will continue to be monitored throughout the season as crops develop. “We’ll continue to evaluate our trials and look forward to demonstrating them, particularly around heading time in blackgrass trials when the weeds are easily visible above the crop. is will allow us to make informed decisions about the programmes and tank mixes we’ve tested so far this year,” said Gareth. Part of the isoxazolidinone family, the new herbicide is aimed at o ering growers operational exibility and lasting control of weeds, even those with reduced sensitivity to other herbicides. Once available, it will need to be used as part of an integrated weed management approach, and in combination with other chemistry. “Based on the results we’ve generated on a range of key broadleaf and grass weed species, we believe that Iso ex has the potential to be a signi cant contributor in the autumn residual programme across a wide range of typical agronomic strategies,” said Gareth. Gareth inspecting the plots.