Cropping advisers and agronomists who witnessed excellent grass and broadleaf weed control from early post-emergent (EPE) applications of the recently released herbicide Mateno Complete from Bayer in wheat this season can look forward to seeing similar in barley crops from next year.
The EPE use pattern in barley was recently approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) – adding to the existing registrations for Mateno Complete, including incorporated by sowing (IBS) in barley and wheat and the wheat EPE registration, with a host of new weed control claims also added to the label in both crops.
Tim Wilkie, marketing lead – broadacre with Bayer Crop Science, said weed control options in barley traditionally had been limited and, hence, the new powerful, triple mode of action herbicide would be a “game-changer” for growers.
He said the introduction of Mateno Complete IBS and EPE in wheat (not durum wheat) and IBS only in barley this season has attracted significant attention, with the product providing a new herbicide mode of action, aclonifen (Group 32) to the Australian cropping industry, in a complementary co-formulation with pyroxasulfone (Group 15) and diflufenican (Group 12) herbicides.
Mr Wilkie said national trials over several years have shown that Mateno Complete, which also can be used with disc seeding systems in wheat, provided better weed control and grain yields than existing benchmark herbicides.
IBS application of Mateno Complete in wheat was originally registered for control of annual ryegrass, barley grass, annual phalaris, silver grass and toad rush and suppression of wild oats, great brome and capeweed.
The original barley IBS registration included the label claims for annual ryegrass, barley grass, silver grass and toad rush. EPE use in wheat was initially registered for control of small silver grass, toad rush, wild radish, capeweed and prickly lettuce and suppression of annual ryegrass, barley grass and doublegee/spiny emex.
New label registrations for the IBS use-pattern include control of stonecrop as well as suppression of Indian hedge mustard, denseflower fumitory and deadnettle in wheat, as well as suppression of Indian hedge mustard and stonecrop in barley.
Meanwhile, the registration for EPE application in wheat has been extended to include Indian hedge mustard, volunteer canola, deadnettle, denseflower fumitory, mouse-ear chickweed, stonecrop, lesser loosestrife, wireweed and common sowthistle.
The new EPE registration in barley provides for control of annual ryegrass (following an effective pre-sowing herbicide), silver grass, toad rush, Indian hedge mustard, prickly lettuce, mouse-ear chickweed, stonecrop, and suppression of volunteer canola, lesser loosestrife and wireweed.
The new weed control claims on the Mateno Complete Herbicide label increase the total number of weeds listed to 20, while the total number of weed claims across the four use patterns now rises to 51.
Mr Wilkie said problem weeds have typically presented significant challenges in the barley phase of crop rotations.
“With the added flexibility to apply Mateno Complete in barley at the EPE timing from next season, this will critically provide control of weeds in the furrow and on the furrow shoulder that may have escaped pre-emergent herbicides. This has been a clear benefit with the EPE applications in wheat this year.
“The EPE application in barley will also provide high level control or suppression of broadleaf weeds and will extend the window of activity to control later germinating annual ryegrass – another major benefit that we have seen in wheat this season.”
He said there were some key considerations for advisers and agronomists with the EPE timing in barley, however, including not applying Mateno Complete when barley has been sown with disc seeders or where sowing has left an open seed slot, as well as when crops may be under stress from a range of environmental and/or agronomic factors.
