Canola producers can use quinclorac next year, thanks to the recent establishment of CODEX MRLs for the active ingredient
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canola growers will have another tool to add to their weed management toolboxes following the establishment of a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for quinclorac.
The CODEX Alimentarius Commission established the MRL, a BASF release said on Monday. As a result, quinclorac has been omitted from 2018-2019 grain company declaration forms.
This development is a critical step towards helping canola producers control cleavers – tough and resilient weeds.
Cleavers are a “really hard weed for Canadian growers to control, especially in canola,” Sydney Marlow, the canola crop manager for BASF, said to Farms.com on Monday.
“There are not a lot of tools to-date that are available to control this weed. It is challenging because it produces a lot of seed and the seed is very similar in size to canola seed. Then, when growers take the grain in to market it, unfortunately they often get docked because it is really hard for the grain buyers to separate out the cleaver seeds from canola seeds.”
Many stakeholders in the industry worked together in this MRL process.
“BASF submitted a comprehensive data package to support the establishment of CODEX MRLs for quinclorac,” Marlow said in the company release.
“Coming in 2019, Canadian growers can use Facet®L herbicide in their canola to get the best available cleaver control in Canada, while having confidence in the marketability of their crop.”
This product provides both burndown and residual control, and is compatible with any herbicide-tolerant system, the release said.
Facet®L has a wide application window – from pre-seed and pre-emerge up to the six-leaf stage in canola – giving producers flexibility when managing cleavers in their fields.
“What is really unique about Facet®L and will really benefit Canadian producers is that it is a liquid formulation, which growers tend to like working with,” Marlow said to Farms.com.
“It is really the only option in canola that can be applied pre-seed or pre-emergence and (producers) can tank mix it for in-crop (applications) no matter what type of canola they are growing.”
A range of rates are registered for this product as well.
High and low application rates give “growers the option to tailor the weed control they need on almost a field-by-field basis.”
Growers are always encouraged to consult with their grain handlers before applying products to ensure the marketability of their crops.
UPDATED Aug. 15, 2018