Lier Crop Science: To guide wheat weeding via integration of innovative safe triclopyr technology

From May 24 to 27, 2024, Sichuan Lier Crop Science Co., Ltd (Lier Crop Science) held a technical exchange meeting on spring wheat weeding, respectively in Zhengding, Hebei Province and Anyang, Henan Province. The exchange meeting was themed with Wheat on Technology, focusing on ″preventing and control of spring weeds.″ Industry experts, scholars and key partners were invited to attend the meeting, during which conference report and field visit were conducted. Once again, Lier Crop Science gave a presentation to its triclopyr series (Saikuo, Xiaoheshang and Feihu), which encompass technical achievement for safe control of wheat spring broad-leaved weeds.

Control of spring wheat weeds means a lot to yield and quality of wheat

In recent years, in China’s major winter wheat growing regions, such as northern Henan, northern Shandong, Hebei Province, Shaanxi and Shanxi, spring weeds, such as Humulus, Mealy Goosefoot, Polygonum aviculare L, Field Bindweed and Cirsium arvense var, germinate rapidly from late March to early April, bringing a second-time damage to wheat, which has become a major threat to be addressed in the mid to late stage management of wheat growth. If weeds are not controlled properly, it not only directly affects the yield and quality of wheat, but may even cause adverse impact on the planting of after reap crops.

Damage of spring weeds to wheat

(coverage on wheat affects grain filling, twining on wheat affects harvesting)

Through in-depth survey of the actual situation of large growers, the specific harm from spring weeds are as follows:

1. Mealy Goosefoot: If counter measures are not taken properly, it will not only reduce the yield of wheat, but may also cause change of color of wheat grain due to the grinding effect of harvesting equipment, which will seriously affect the quality of wheat for sale to the market.

   
   

2. Humulus: If it is not controlled effectively, it will increase the difficulty of field operation of harvesters, thereby increasing labor cost. At the same time, the presence of humulus during harvesting may cause wheat grain to scatter, which further reduces the harvesting efficiency.

   
   

3. Impact on after reap crops: If control of spring weeds is not dealt with in a proper way, not only the yield and quality of wheat in the current season will be affected, but also weeding for after reap crop planting such as corn will become difficult, thus affecting the continuity and stability of the whole agricultural production.

Therefore, the effective management and control of spring weeds is of great significance to yield and quality of wheat as well as to the sustainability of agricultural production.

Control of spring weeds in wheat field is difficult, which requires both efficiency and safety in applications, being faced with a lot of challenges as the following:

• Increased number of applications: Most of the spring weeds are germinated from end of March to beginning of April, dependent on the field moisture, emergence of weeds is irregular and may continue for several times, which cause multiple hazards. Meanwhile, most of winter wheat are entering into the jointing and booting stage, when the prevention and control of overwintering weeds are almost over, while spring weeds cannot be controlled in parallel with control of overwintering weeds. So, farmers are faced with second-time application as required, for which wheat herbicide has to be applied at least twice. 

  
  

• Limited choice of agents for control: The main herbicidal ingredients for control of broad-leaved weeds in wheat field, including florasulam, fluroxypyr, 2-methyl-4-chloro-phenoxyacetic acid, carfentrazone-ethyl and tribenuron-methyl), are limited to certain extent in control of spring weeds, most of which can only control weeds at 5-leaf stage or younger. In addition, the selection of appropriate ingredients should not only consider the safety for the current crop, but also the safety for the after reap crops. 

In the face of these challenges, many farmers have to use burndown herbicide (glyphosate) 10 to 7 days before wheat harvesting, which is a contingency measure for easy harvesting, but for wheat yield which is already affected, this practice is largely not helpful. 

Lier Crop Science’s triclopyr solution: To achieve wheat broadleaf weeding and  significant application value 

In view of the continuous emergence of problems of broad-leaved weed control in wheat field in recent years, the repeated multi-ingredient compounding of tribenuron-methyl, carfentrazone-ethyl, florasulam, fluroxypyr, MCPa, MCPA-isooctyl and Isooctyl 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetat has increased the cost constantly while weed resistance is growing more prominently. It is just at this time, via the continuous exploration of solutions to the problems, an ingredient comes into being and performs very well, which is the triclopyr, a pyridine carboxylic acid-based broad-leaf herbicide presented by Lier Crop Science after great effort. 

Ttriclopyr is a pyridine carboxylic acid-based hormone herbicide invented by Dow Company in 1964, which is widely used in gramineous cereals including wheat, corn, sugarcane and oat for control of resistant and malignant broadleaf weeds. It is particularly appealing that the application of triclopyr in wheat weeding becomes one of the hottest wheat field herbicides on the market in recent years; its compounded products are significantly effective in control of broadleaf weeds, which are difficult to control in wheat field.

On May 19, 2023, at the Wheat Field Broadleaf Herbicide Safety Technology Integration & Innovation Forum, Lier Crop Science’s work team gave a systematic demonstration of the differences in the safety performance of Lier Crop Science’s safe triclopyr formula versus conventional triclopyr in the ″7 key growth stages of wheat″. At the forum, Lier Crop Science’s triclopyr technology and safety properties, by contrast to conventional products, impressed the forum participating experts and partners of cooperation. Link to previous report: Triclopyr opening a new journey of wheat weeding.

1) Scientific combination of triclopyr innovatively solving broad-leaved weed problem in wheat field 

The scientific combination of triclopyr is effective against six major wheat weeds - cleavers, chickweed, malachium aquaticum, shepherd purse, flixweed and procumbent speedwell.

In the 2023-2024 season, Lier Crop Science’s work team endeavored to promote its terminal services, with launch of a series of solutions (Saikuo, Xiaoheshang and Feihu) which are being selected for application by more and more users, due to the broad herbicidal spectrum, thorough effect and high safety. The concept of ″Lier weeding, safe weeding″ is getting deep down in the heart of growers in the course of application of these products. 

2) Safe combination of triclopyr can easily solve problem of spring weeds in winter wheat field

Triclopyr is an uncultivated land weeding agent, rational use of which can effectively control the spring weeds in traditional uncultivated land (Humulus, Mealy Goosefoot, Polygonum aviculare L, Field Bindweed and Cirsium arvense var). The biggest risk of ordinary triclopyr lies on its use in jointing stage up to the grain filling stage, which will cause reduction in wheat yield to different degrees, whilst Lier Crop Science’s safe combination of triclopyr can be applied thought the whole growth stages of wheat. 

Lier Crop Science’s safe combination of triclopyr (left) in safety and performance 

From April to May 2024, to solve the problem of spring weeds, Lier Crop Science’s work team carried out development of precise application solutions for different application stages and different weed ages, including the triclopyr solutions (Saikuo, Xiaoheshang and Feihu), which performed very well in different weed ages and application stages,  having been highly recognized by Gao Xingxiang, expert of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xu Hongle, expert of Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Ma Shujie, Hebei Agricultural University. It is of great significance that safe and efficient solutions to spring weeds are made available, which can solve the problem of production management in favor of users. 

Compared with the combination of conventional products available on the market, 20 days after treatment of humulus (Feihu acts even more thoroughly) in Anyang, Henan

Compared with the combination of conventional products available on the market, 30 days after treatment of humulus (Feihu and Saikuo act even more thoroughly) in Zhengding,  Hebei 

Application of Feihu to 1,000-mu large farm 

With innovative application of triclopyr, Lier Crop Science injects new vigor into wheat weeding

With its innovative safe triclopyr technology, Lier Crop Science could bring about a revolutionary change in wheat weeding. After five years of extensive field practice and application, its series of products such as Feihu, Saikuo and Xiaoheshang have been proved to be effective in solving the problem of overwintering weeds and spring weeds in winter wheat fields, having truly achieved total weeding in wheat production and settled the long-existing tough issue, to the benefit of users. 

″Making wheat yield higher, farmers and agricultural practitioners more relaxed has always been the pursuit of Lier Crop Science.″ This is reflected not only by the excellent performance of its products, but also by the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainable agriculture. Going forward, Lier Crop Science will continue its effort on the key crop wheat to introduce more innovative weeding solutions as based upon the technical advantage of the safe triclopyr technology; will increase terminal promotion services; and will contribute the effort of Lier Crop Science to the global grain production.

On July 18-19, 2024, Lier Crop Science will attend the 2024 China Pesticide Exporting Workshop (CPEW) and make a speech to share the development of the entire industrial chain of chlorinated pyridine from upstream to field and its practice on crop application. 

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