Tank mixtures of 'fops' and 'dims' to reduce herbicide costs in autumn-sown oilseed rape

Abstract

Three experiments were done using winter wheat, grown in pots, to simulate volunteer wheat in an oilseed rape crop rotation. Mixtures of a 'fop' (either Pilot (quizalafop-ethyl) or Fusilade (fluazifod-P-butyl)) and a 'dim' (either Laser (cycloxydim) or Checkmate (sethoxydim) were sprayed on to 2-3 leaf or 1-2 tiller wheat plants which were grown under moisture stress. Pilot did not contribute to the performance of mixtures and therefore in the second and third pot experiments, either Fusilade or Laser were mixed with Checkmate.

The most active mixtures were selected from these pot experiments and applied in one field experiment in December 1994 to a winter oilseed rape field infested with volunteer wheat.

Mixtures of Fusilade + Laster at 0.25 + 0.125 or 0.125 + 0.25 l/ha (+ Actipron) or Fusilade + Checkmate at 0.25 + 0.09 l/ha (+Actipron) gave equivalent conteol of volunteer wheat to that given by Fulisade or Laser at 0.5 l/ha with savings of £3-5 /ha. Oilseed rape yields were not measured.