The product is available for wheat farmers this season
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A new herbicide for spring, durum and winter wheat growers across Western Canada is available for the 2024 growing season.
UPL’s Batalium product received registration just before Christmas.
The herbicide is registered for use in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and in the Peace River and Interior of B.C.
UPL testing ensured the product is made for Canadian conditions, said Jon Gough, Canada portfolio marketing lead with UPL.
“It can handle variations in environment and temperatures,” he told Farms.com. “We did a lot of work to optimize the formulation and believe this is a high-power formulation that’s going to do what we say it’s going to do.”
It combines multiple modes of action – flucarbazone, fluroxypyr, MCPA and bromoxynil, the product’s label says. It can control grass weeds like green foxtail and Japanese brome, and broadleaf weeds like cow cockle, Canada thistle and cleavers.
This formulation comes in a drum that can treat 200 acres, or a jug that can cover 40 acres.
This allows for a one-pass solution, Gough said.
“You’ve got a Group 2, a Group 4 and a Group 6,” he said. “Then MCPA would also fall into a Group 6. This product will save farmers time and take away any risk of potentially mixing products together in the tank. Farmers are looking to cover more acres as efficiently as possible, and Batalium lets them do that.”
In terms of application timing, Batalium is registered as a post-emerge product.
Spraying the herbicide at a specific time can support efficacy and reduce drop damage.
“Research has demonstrated that optimum wheat yield is obtained by early removal of target weeds prior to tillering of wheat,” the product label reads. “In post-emergence use, apply (Batalium) to wheat that has a minimum of two leaves to a maximum of four leaves on the main stem, plus two tillers. Application beyond this stage may result in yield losses due to weed competition.”
Farmers looking for more information about Batalium can visit UPL’s website.