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Simazine. (Gesatop, Alpha Simazine) - Cheap and widely used but seed needs to be covered by 3" of settled soil. Can be used pre and post emergence but has a limited weed spectrum. Land type governs rate of application.
Rates: 1.5lt/ha light land - 2.0lt/ha heavy land.
Plough after drilling to depth of at least 150mm. Minimum gap of 7 months after application before planting next crop. Apply before end of February. Will not be effective where strains of annual meadow-grass or groundsel resistant to Simazine occur.

Pendamethalin (Stomp 400SC) - Offers improved broadleaf control compared to straight Simazine. Improves control of cleavers, fathen and polygonums. Can only be used pre-emergence. Do not apply if beans are near to emerging or have emerged. Even spray cover is not essential since rain will redistribute the Stomp on the soil surface. Weeds are killed or remain small and uncompetitive beneath the bean canopy. If crop fails, due to flooding or slugs, it is safe to redrill small areas with winter or spring beans. Direct drill the seed to 2-3" with minimum of soil disturbance so that it is placed below the layer of Stomp. Can be mixed with Simazine (1.5lt/ha). SOLA for use of Stomp in Winter Beans (grower's risk). Use at 3.3lt/ha, approval No 1098/99 unlimited. Anyone can make use of a SOLA provided you have a copy of it.

Terbutryn/Terbuthylazine (Opogard 500SC, Battalion) - Can only be used pre-emergence. Only to be considered if beans drilled very shallow. Not very persistent. Offers no black grass or wild oat control but some meadow grass control. Rates range from 1.6lt/ha-2.3lt/ha depending on soil type. This chemical needs to be on at least 3 days before the crop emerges or some crop effect may be seen.

Propyzamide (Kerb) - Residual herbicide giving some broadleaf weed, grass weed and volunteer cereal control. It can be mixed with Simazine for improved broadleaf weed control although some gaps in the weed spectrum still remain. Kerb can only be applied pre-emergence and the crop must be drilled to a depth of 3 ". Need to plough after use. Do not apply after 31st December. Less effective in dry winters as this cuts down the mobility of the chemical.

Carbetamide (Carbetamex) - Used at 3kg/ha this can be used pre or very early post- emergence with or without Simazine. Seed needs to be adequately covered if used by itself or 3" deep if added to Simazine. Carbetamex has some control on cleavers if applied pre- emergence of the weed. Can sometimes be aggressive on the crop. Good in resistant blackgrass situations. Do not need to plough after use. Fine powder, so take adequate precautions when mixing up. Must be on by the end of February.

Basagran SG (Bentazone) - Only to be applied in the spring. Crops need to be adequately waxed at time of application and free from pest damage. Optimum crop stage for application is between 5-15cms but before flower buds are visible. Avoid frost. 7-day minimum gap between this and other sprays. This spray is good for cleavers, volunteer oilseed rape/charlocks and late germinating black bindweed, but is poor on knotgrass and orache. A split dose can be used on this crop. Expect some blackening of bean plant and crop setback if not adequately waxed at time of application. Needs 14 day gap after using contact gramminicide (to allow the leaf wax to recover) before spraying Basagran SG and a gap of 7 days after Basagran SG before using a contact gramminicide. Do not mix any other chemical with Basagran SG.
Rate of use - 1.65kg/ha as a single dose or 0.85kg/ha followed by 0.85kg/ha as a split dose. Do not exceed maximum dose.

Centium 360CS - This is a new chemical. It is a low dose residual herbicide, for the control of cleavers and other broad-leaved weeds. Based on the chemical Clomazone, it offers no contact effect and is totally residual; uptake being via the roots and shoots. Chemical can be translocated upward through the xylem and this inhibits synthesis of photosynthetic pigments. Signs of effect are seen as typical bleaching symptoms. Apply the same day as drilling preferably, but before emergence of both crop and weeds. Centium is good on cleavers, chickweed, fools parsley, shepherds purse and field pennycress but weak on poppy, mayweed, annual meadow grass, bindweed, fumitory and volunteer oil seed rape. This is very much a mixer chemical and is relatively expensive. Centium is physically compatible with simazine, pendamethalin, propyzamide, carbetamide, glyphosate, paraquat, glyphosate-trimesium and terbutryn + terbuthylazine. As regards crop safety, a Centium + Simazine mix is approved for this season. You may see some margin chlorosis from this mix. The other above mixes have not been tested and are therefore not backed this year. Rate of use for the approved mix is 0.33lt/ha Centium + 2.0lt/ha Simazine for heavy land. Do not use on sands or very light soils.

Contact grass weedkillers.

Cycloxydim (Laser, Valencia) - Needs to be mixed with a mineral oil (Actipron). Can be applied from 2-leaf stage of crop up until canopy prevents adequate penetration. If applied in the spring in sequence with Basagran SG, the minimum of 14 days between applications is necessary to allow recovery of the protective wax layer. Product of choice over the rest of the contact gramminicides for ryegrass and some of the more difficult blackgrass situations. Be aware that we have come across isolated fields where blackgrass control has been poor due to high levels of metabolic resistance. (Fop and Dim resistance).. Harvest interval 8 weeks. Rates dependent on size and type of weed.

Tepraloxydim (Aramo) - Can be used on both Spring and Winter Beans. One of the better products in resistant black grass situations. Apply in spring from 3-leaf stage of crop until the six visibly extending internodes stage and before flower buds visible. Has a useful effect on meadow grass when used at the 1.5lt/ha rate in the spring but must be on before meadow grass has 5 tillers. No oil required at application. Has 8-week harvest interval. It must be stressed that the dose response curve is very steep downwards on this chemical, so do not cut recommended rates of application. Rates of application are 1.0lt/ha for volunteer wheat, barley and blackgrass and 1.5lt/ha for annual meadow grass.

Fluazifop-p-butyl (Fusilade) - Can be applied from the 2nd node until before flower buds visible. Good on oats and cereal volunteers. Avoid using if you suspect any degree of blackgrass resistance. Use one of the more active contact gramminicides or go for Carbetamex or Kerb pre-emergence. Application rates vary depending on weed problem.

Propaquizafop (Falcon) - Has had some problems with regrowth of wild oats. Avoid using if you suspect any degree of blackgrass resistance. Excellent for couch control - needs to used at the higher rate for this (1.5lt/ha). No wetter needs to be added. Apply before flower buds visible. Harvest interval 14 weeks. Grass needs to be growing at time of application - results disappointing if not i.e. if grass suffering from drought at application.