Bayer CropScience to make greater quantities of Artist herbicide available for 2015 in UK

Bayer CropScience is to make greater quantities of Artist (flufenacet + metribuzin), the only flufenacet-containing herbicide for use in potato crops, available for the 2015 season in UK.

The news is likely to be welcomed by growers who have been searching for more effective means of controlling problem grassweeds, such annual-meadow grass (AMG) following changes to the limit of linuron that can be applied.

Bayer CropScience root crop product manager Edward Hagues said: “We have been aware for several seasons of rising demand for the herbicide among growers and advisers as the preferred means of controlling annual-meadow grass following the reduction in the maximum total dose of linuron that can be applied.

“Efforts to control the weed, which can create difficulties at lifting if left uncontrolled, have been further compounded following the tighter label restrictions placed on the use of Harvest (glufosinate) in 2014.

“Responding to this demand has been frustrated by difficulties in securing sufficient supplies of flufenacet, but these have been overcome in time for the 2015 season.”

He added: “The performance of flufenacet in controlling AMG and other grassweeds is widely recognised while the metribuzin content is prized for controlling a range of broad-leaved weeds.”