With a shift to pre-emergent management of broadleaf weeds, in combination with grass weed pre-emergent products, agronomists and growers are better able to gain the upper hand in clean cereal crop establishment.

A combination of CALLISTO^® and BOXER GOLD^® herbicides offers excellent compatibility and crop safety, while delivering considerable logistical benefits.  

“We’ve used quite a lot of BOXER GOLD^®, it’s a pretty good pre-em, compatible with everything,” Victorian Mallee mixed farmer Corey O’Callaghan said.  

“And that’s a pretty good combination really,” his brother Adam added. “[With BOXER GOLD^® and CALLISTO^®] you’ve got your grass and your broadleaf, and we’ve said that’s our go-to moving forward.”  

The O’Callaghans crop 7300 hectares as well as raise prime lambs, so the adoption of CALLISTO in 2020 has brought about significant time savings.  

“It’s not simple sprays anymore, these weeds take a bit of killing and that’s where CALLISTO has come in, and where we’ve seen its fit,” Adam said.  

Corey added: “That’s the idea with CALLISTO^®, to get it on before the crop goes in, because it’s not easy to get around the farm that quick [post-emergence], so it’s giving us that control early.”  

CALLISTO^® is the novel formulation of mesotrione, a Group 27 (H) herbicide discovered by Syngenta and now available to wheat and barley growers.  Registered for use incorporation by sowing (IBS), CALLISTO offers control of wild radish, sow thistle and double gee among other weeds including populations with confirmed resistance to group 2(B), 3(D), 4(I), 5(C) and 12(F) herbicides.  

BOXER GOLD^® price reposition  

Now competitively priced with trifluralin based mixes, BOXER GOLD^® is an even more enticing proposition for farmers.  

Given the similar price point of these pre-emergent herbicide options, Syngenta Technical Services Lead James Considine said there were significant advantages for growers to switch to BOXER GOLD^®.  

“While trifluralin has been a useful pre-emergent herbicide it has some limitations in how it can be used,” he said.  

“As we know trifluralin is very volatile, leaving little time for incorporation by sowing before the product starts being lost to the atmosphere which can be a logistical burden at sowing.  The active ingredients in BOXER GOLD^® are significantly less volatile than trifluralin and do not readily photo-degrade, meaning growers can apply BOXER GOLD^® up to seven days prior to incorporation by the sowing process.”   

Mr Considine said this allows the spray operators to get ahead of the seeder,ensures seeding is not held up due to poor spraying conditions, and can improve sprayer efficiency. 

“This also means grassy weeds including annual ryegrass come into contact with a known dose of herbicide for superior consistency of efficacy, which is particularly important during delays to sowing or under variable weather conditions,” he added.  

With annual ryegrass being a notoriously difficult weed to control, particularly with rising levels of Group 3 (D) resistance, Mr Considine said agronomists and consultants can recommend BOXER GOLD^® knowing it is easy to use, dependable and better value.   

“Research has demonstrated that the implementation of rotation programs utilising pre-em herbicides with multiple modes of action can significantly extend the life of trifluralin,” he said.   

“Even if trifluralin resistance is not present, adopting a rotation program that includes different modes of action and weed seed management strategies can significantly delay the onset of resistance.”   

Learn more about CALLISTO®.

Disclaimer: No one should rely upon the information contained in this article without appropriate professional advice regarding relevant factors specific to your situation such as environmental conditions. Always read and follow label directions before using any product in this article.