Herbicide Use in Game Cover Crops

maize-crop-grown-for-game-cover

Just like when growing a commercial crop such as wheat or oilseed rape there are many variable factors that influence the levels of success you will experience in establishing your game cover crop or wild bird seed mixture.  These can include grazing by birds or rabbits, the weather and ground/soil conditions.  However there are things you can do to achieve a good crop and one of these is reducing the weed population, to ensure the best possible chance of establishment and so now is the time to start planning your strategy.

Several different crop species are often established in the same place year on year to provide food and shelter for game birds or to promote wildlife and biodiversity.  This itself complicates and limits the choice of herbicides available to the grower for weed control.

Corteva Agriscience are proud to introduce our portfolio of products that have approval in game cover crops. These are products that all arable farmers will be very familiar with and are widely used in many crop scenarios which are totally transferable into game cover situations. The products which have Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) approval are:

These products can be used in a wide range of game cover crop species and will control the weeds that are most harmful to establishment. 

To see which products can be used with which cover crops and the weeds which they will control, please refer to the table below or download the GameCover Topic Sheet: 

Game Cover Topic Sheet

 

 

Game cover crops SAFE with Corteva Agriscience products (EAMUs)

 

Game Cover Crop

Shield Pro

Starane Hi-Load

Kerb Flo

Thistlex 

Borage

Yes

 

 

Yes

Buckwheat

Some crop damage

 

Yes

Yes

Canary Grass

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

Fodder Radish

Yes

 

Yes

 

Gold of Pleasure

Some crop damage

 

Yes

 

Kale

Yes

 

Yes

Yes

Maize

Yes

 Some crop damage

 

Yes

Millet (white, red, reed)

Yes

White millet only

 

Yes

Miscanthus

Yes

Yes

 

 

Mustard

Yes

 

Yes

Some crop damage

Phacelia

Yes

 

 

Yes

Quinoa

Some crop damage

 

Yes

 

Sorghum

Some crop damage

Yes

 

Yes

Sunflowers

 

 

Yes

 

Sweet Clover

 

 

Yes

 

Triticale and other Cereals

Yes

Yes

 

 

Tyfon Cabbage/Stubble turnip

Yes

 

Yes

Some crop damage

NOTES ON USE
Consult Corteva Agriscience for specific advice.

- Rates of 0.25 - 0.5 L/ha before end of July.
- Weeds should be actively growing.
- Apply when crop is well established but before flower buds visible.  Note: Clopyralid can remain in plant residues and affect following crops - ensure full incorporation of crop residues before planting treated areas with susceptible crops. 

- Rates of 0.6 L/ha.
- Apply when crop is well established but before flower buds visible.
- Sorghum and Maize should be treated between 3-6 expanded true leaves and less than 20 cm tall.
- Weeds should be actively growing, soil temperature above 4°C and avoid times when large variations in day and night time temperatures. 

- Rates of 1.7 L/ha best applied pre-emergence of the crop. 

- Rates of 1.0 L/ha.

- Weeds should be actively growing.

- Thistles at rosette stage

Note: Clopyralid can remain in plant residues and affect following crops - ensure full incorporation of crop residues before planting treated areas with susceptible crops. 

EAMU

20239169 (GB only) and 20222190 (GB & NI) 

20210942

20210966

20231995 (GB only) and 20231996 (NI only)

 

 

Weeds and game cover crops CONTROLLED with Corteva Agriscience products (EAMUs)

 

Weed/Game Cover Crop

Shield Pro

Starane Hi-Load

Kerb Flo

Thistlex

Annual Meadow Grass

 

 

x

 

Black Bindweed

 

x

x

 

Black Nightshade

 

x

x

 

Blackgrass

 

 

x

 

Charlock

 

 

 

 

Chickweed

 

x

x

 

Cleavers

 

x

 

 

Creeping Thistle

x

 

 

 

Fat Hen

 

 

x

x

Forget-me-not

 

x

 

 

Fumitory

 

x

 

 

Groundsel

x

 

 

x

Hemp-nettle

 

x

 

 

Mayweeds

x

 

 

x

Redshank

 

 

x

 

Shepherd’s Purse

 

 

 

 

Sow Thistle

x

 

 

x

Speedwells

 

 

x

 

Sterile Brome

 

 

x

 

Volunteer Cereals

 

 

x

 

Volunteer Oilseed Rape

 

 

 

 

Wild Oats

 

 

x

 

Jerusalem Artichoke

x

x

 

 

Borage

 

x

 

 

Buckwheat

 

x

 

 

Fodder Radish

 

x

 

x

Gold of Pleasure

 

x

 

x

Kale

 

x

 

 

Mustard

 

x

 

 

Quinoa

 

x

 

x

Sorghum

 

 

 

 

Sunflowers

x

x

 

x

Sweet Clover

 

x

 

 

 

The data has been compiled from a limited number of trials and therefore users should bear this in mind when making applications to crops.  All use is under the Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) –  EAMU approval is for game cover crop  as a general “group name”. No species are specified in  the EAMU go to: pesticides.gov.uk  and our herbicide choices for game cover crops topic sheet for more information.

All use is at the grower’s risk and there may be some crop effects. Use plant protection product safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further information including warning phrases and symbols refer to label.