New potato herbicide, insecticide expansion approved

Two new approvals have expanded the menu of crop protection products for Canadian potato growers, including Bayer CropScience's insecticide Titan and DuPont's herbicide Titus PRO.

Nationally, Bayer CropScience's popular potato insecticide Titan is now registered as an in-furrow application, to complement its existing registration as a seed-piece treatment.

Titan is billed as the broadest-spectrum seed-piece insecticide for potatoes and in a recent release Bayer touted its new "application flexibility."

"We work to provide growers with not only the best pest control, but also flexible application options," said David Kikkert, Bayer's horticulture portfolio manager. "With the new in-furrow registration of Titan, growers now have the option of applying this popular insecticide as either a seed-piece treatment or an in-furrow application."

In the same release Bayer said early-season control of insects helps plants get off to a vigorous start, and Titan's insect control will also help growers reduce risk of secondary diseases such as blackleg which thrive on insect damage.

Titan, formulated as a flowable liquid, is available in two-litre jugs.

Meanwhile, potato growers in the West -- and processing tomato growers across the country -- have got a new weed control option in Titus PRO, a DuPont post-emergent herbicide that combines DuPont Prism SG (rimsulfuron) and a 75 per cent DF metribuzin into a co-pack.

"Titus PRO provides exceptional post-emergent control of a broad spectrum of grassy and broadleaf weeds, and its multiple modes of action make it an excellent resistance management tool," said Ray Janssen, DuPont Crop Protection's horticulture market segment manager, in a separate release.

Packaged in a 40-acre case, Titus PRO provides both Group 2 and Group 5 modes of action, which the company said will give growers a useful tool to manage herbicide-resistant weeds.

On top of Prism SG's control of annual grasses, "with the additional power of metribuzin, they'll see enhanced residual control of a far wider range of broadleaf weeds as well," said Janssen.

Titus PRO controls grassy weeds such as barnyard grass, quackgrass and lamb's-quarters and broadleaf weeds such as cocklebur, common chickweed and post-emergent stinkweed. A full listing of registered uses is available on the product's label.