Broad spectrum control, good crop safety and extensive tank-mix compatibility mean Emerger is likely to be the cornerstone of most herbicide programmes.
Emerger, the new pre-emergence herbicide from Bayer containing aclonifen, continues to deliver impressive control of a broad range of weeds.
Emerger performed strongly against a range of widely used herbicides in a 2019 weed screen performed in a dry spring with difficult conditions.
Although its development has been widely covered, the product is relatively new having only received regulatory approval in April 2019.
“Emerger continues to perform strongly and good product availability means there will be the opportunity to use across the 2020 season,” says Edward Hagues, Bayer campaign manager for roots.
To support its use across a range of situations, we have investigated Emerger’s performance in programmes and in mixes with other products.
“The list of compatible tank-mix partners will be expanded from the 26 combinations on the existing label in time for the 2020 season. The work performed so far suggests best control – an average of 98% overall weed control – is achieved when used with Artist (flufenacet + metribuzin),” says Mr Hagues.
Norfolk-based Graham Tomalin, agronomist with VCS Potatoes, has had more experience with Emerger than most, having evaluated it AHDB trials at the Strategic Potato (Spot) Farm East demonstration site at Elveden Estate.
He described Emerger as “offering a useful weed spectrum that is in line with the manufacturer’s claims and has demonstrated good crop safety across a range of varieties”.
“It has a few gaps in its weed spectrum, but was a useful mixing partner with no crop safety concerns either on its own or in a mix with eight other active substances, save for clomazone which we know can cause bleaching when used alone in some varieties,” he says.
