Posted: June 15, 2010

From timing to approach, farmers and other applicators put a lot of focus and analysis on how best to conduct spraying, yet one of the most important components happens before - and after - the process starts.

Cleaning out sprayer tanks is a job critical to do right, reminds Dr. Tom Wolf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon. Chief among the reasons is to avoid subsequent injury to susceptible crops.

This means thoroughly removing all traces of herbicide from mixing and spray equipment immediately after spraying, he says. "The main areas of concern are the tank wall, sump, plumbing, and filters. First, spray the tank completely empty while still in the field, even if it means covering previously sprayed areas. Reduce the rate to avoid crop injury."

Wolf fields calls each year on the topic and offers tips for cleaning out sprayer tanks a checklist referenced in the latest Growing Knowledge e-newsletter from Monsanto Canada. Wolf's checklist includes visual inspection, tank wall, sump, plumbing, dilution, filters, nozzle bodies, tank cleaning adjuvants and rinsate disposal.

On plumbing, Wolf advises: "Plumbing can be a significant reservoir of herbicide residue. Removal from plumbing can be achieved by pumping clean water through the boom while ensuring that all return and agitation lines also receive clean water and all residue is flushed out. This may require opening and closing various valves several times, and repeating the process with new batches of clean water."

Trish Meyers who edits this report for Monsanto has expanded Wolf's checklist and related it to Monsanto products. This expanded version is available at the company website. Also available on the website is Wolf's original information sheet "Sprayer tank cleanout checklist."

Posted: June 15, 2010

Stemming the rise of illegal trafficking on counterfeit goods is the focus of a new call to action from CropLife International.

The international federation for the plant science industry is calling for global action to reverse the boom in the trade of counterfeited goods, including pesticides, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $250 billion or nearly 2 percent of global trade (according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.)

"Unregulated, counterfeit pesticides are illegal products and we need more effective measures to protect farmers and consumers alike from the risks they pose," says a news release from CropLife International. To coincide with World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, the organization's director of anti-counterfeiting, D'Arcy Quinn, is calling for new thinking and a new 'partnership'-based approach to solve the problem.

"It's difficult to know the exact size of counterfeit markets given the illegal, unregulated nature of the trade," says Quinn. "But even in mature, well-policed markets like the EU, counterfeit pesticides — which are just one part of the problem – are estimated to account for between five and ten per cent of total sales. In markets like China, India or Brazil, counterfeit products are estimated to account for more than 20 percent of the total market. We need a new approach to solve this problem. In particular, we need a more transparent supply chain from manufacturers to exporters to importers to customers."

CropLife International has outlined three key principles which could strengthen the fight against counterfeiting:

• Helping to encourage customs officials to share vital information listed in import/export documents.
• Providing more support for police and regulators to track and stop counterfeit operations.
• Encouraging vessel owners to "know their customers" and assume greater duty of care regarding with whom they make contracts to transport goods to ensure they avoid counterfeiters.

View the full release on the CropLife International website.

Posted: June 15, 2010

With high moisture in many areas of the Prairies this spraying season, how to spray effectively in wet conditions is a top concern of many farmers.

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) offers a series of tips in the mid-June edition of its popular Canola Watch e-newsletter. Here's a somewhat shortened version of the four tips:

Window of opportunity. Missing a window of opportunity with herbicides, fungicides or insecticides often results in greater yield losses because the pests will have had a chance to cause damage, or are tougher to control later. Research has shown that removing weeds earlier significantly increases yields.

Sprayer size. Big new sprayers are heavier, weighing 30,000 pounds dry and up to 40,000 pounds with a full tank. Going into a low spot with a full tank carries the risk of getting stuck. With GPS, growers know where they've been, so good advice is to spray all the higher ground first, then go back to the lower spots when the sprayer tank is only a quarter full.

Speed and slippery conditions. Keep your speed up, if possible. Slippery conditions slow a sprayer down, which results in lower spray pressure as rate controllers attempt to maintain a constant application volume. This can cause nozzles to perform poorly. With low-drift nozzles, higher pressure is important to get the pesticide to work properly.

Consider air. Another option is to apply by air where product registrations allow. Aircraft can cover large areas in a short time. Most aerial applicators have all-weather airstrips. And aerial applicators can produce droplet sizes that provide the right amount of coverage for the product and crop in question.

Tom Wolf, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, assisted with the tips. The complete Canola Watch 7, which also includes several additional items on spraying tips and aerial spraying is available on the Canola Council of Canada website.

Posted: June 15, 2010

Cereal growers have a new option in the fight against fusarium.

BASF Canada announced it has received federal registration for Caramba, a new systemic triazole fungicide for use on wheat, oats barley and rye.

The active ingredient is Caramba is metconazole, which is part of the triazole (Group 3) family of fungicides which have target on a number of foliar diseases in a range of crops, according to a news release from BASF Canada.

"Fusarium is a dirty word for growers and they know the damage it can cause," says Mike Bakker, fungicide brand manager with the company. "With Caramba fungicide, growers finally have a product specifically developed to help them manage this disease in cereals."

The product should be applied at 20 percent flowering to wheat, oats and rye, the company says. For barley, it should be applied between full head emergence to up to three days after full emergence of main stem heads.

View the full release on BASF Canada's Ag Solutions website.