Swede and turnip growers have a significant number of straight metazachlor products expiring in the next eight months to narrow options for pre-emergence weed control.

These crops are important in some parts of the UK for both human consumption and as fodder for stock over winter.

See also: Key label changes: tight restrictions on pyrethroid insecticide

Where stock has been recently purchased, perhaps for use in oilseed rape crops where the active is used widely, the label may have changed and no longer permit use on swedes and turnips.

Growers and spray operators are urged to check the label carries a recommendation for use in swedes and turnips before heading out to apply pre-emergence sprays.

Adama product Fuego remains available to use until 2021, while there are two Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) for dimethenamid-P/metazachlor mixture Springbok.

One of these expires in 2016 and the other in 2019, so options aren’t exhausted and growers should still be able to adequately control weeds pre-emergence of their crops.

Although the most attention is paid to products that are being lost completely, another serious effect is the reduction of approved crops on product labels and metazachlor is a good example of this.

Straight metazachlor-based product expiries

Metazachlor-based products for swedes and turnips

Pesticide watch

To help you keep up with key product label changes, Crops is working with Gatekeeper agronomists to highlight key Mapp number changes and the potential implications, keeping you on the right side of the law and aid with on-farm record keeping.

Sentinel is a decision support tool linked to Gatekeeper crop management software, a program that helps arable farmers with record-keeping and legislation issues. For more details visit www.farmplan.co.uk or call 01594 545 011.