Sharpen herbicide from BASF approved as harvest aid/dry bean desiccant

Edible bean growers can now experience fast, complete desiccation and improved harvest efficiency with Sharpen® herbicide (active ingredient: saflufenacil), powered by Kixor® herbicide technology. The product’s recent label expansion allows growers to use Sharpen as a desiccant in dry edible beans to aid drydown and accelerate overall harvest times.

"The excellent leaf, pod and stem desiccation provided by Sharpen helps growers better manage operations during the often time-pressed harvest and can help reduce harvest issues like loss and bean quality,” said Bryan Perry, Kixor Marketing Manager with BASF. “That means a more timely, efficient harvest for growers.”

According to Perry, Sharpen further enables ease of harvest by providing fast, effective broadleaf burndown, which is important in a year like 2011 where fields have experienced challenging weather.

"With the innovative Kixor technology powering Sharpen, growers can help ensure timely, effective harvest of their dry bean crop,” said Perry.

Sharpen features ease of use, storage and transport due to its low use rate (2 fl oz/A).

Sharpen will be available in key geographic locations for edible beans, including North Dakota, Michigan, Nebraska, Colorado and Idaho, among others. For the 2011 use season, MRLs will not be established for exporting dry beans treated with Sharpen outside of the United States, Canada or Mexico.