Dow AgroSciences registered ClearView weed killer in non-crop

ClearView (ais: aminopyralid + metsulfuron-methyl), a selective control for annual and perennial broadleaf weeds, invasive plants and shrubs, has been cleared for use in Canada -- only not in field crops.

Dow AgroSciences Canada on Wednesday announced registration for the new post-emergent products use to control weeds and shrubs on rights-of-way, industrial land, rangeland, permanent pasture and other "non-crop areas."

Options to controlling weeds and shrubs in such areas are "limited," Dow Agro marketing manager Jerry Olechowski said in a release.

"Mechanical removal is time-consuming and disruptive to the ecosystem. ClearView will help industry effectively manage broadleaf weeds and invasive plants, and it has a favourable environmental profile."

ClearView, a granular Group 4 and 2 combination of aminopyralid and metsulfuron-methyl, "will establish a new benchmark in roadside and right-of-way weed and shrub control," he said, noting its control of plants such as dandelion, tansy and flixweed.

Its also billed as "the first and only industrial vegetation management herbicide in Canada with registered claims to provide 12- and 24-month control of weed and shrub species," according to Barry Gibbs, a Dow Agro product registration manager.

ClearView can be applied alone or tank-mixed with products such as 2,4-D or glyphosate for broader-spectrum control in a "variety of vegetation management situations."

The herbicides label recommends it "for use on areas where loss of broadleaf forage plants, including legumes, can be tolerated. It shouldnt be sprayed near "desirable" vegetation or spots where the product may be washed into contact with desirable plants roots, such as sidewalks or driveways, the company said.

Hay cut from treated grass, in the year of application, should only be used on-farm to feed livestock, the label warned.

Manure or compost from animals fed the treated hay should only be used on registered-use sites -- again, "where the loss of broadleaf forage plants, including legumes, can be tolerated."

The label allows for only one application of ClearView per growing season, at a rate no higher than 230 grams per hectare. Areas treated for 24 months of control should be treated no more than every second year, the company said.