September 21, 2018 Thierry Besancon

Webinar on Best Practices for Pesticide Aerial Application

Register for September 27 Webinar on Best Practices for Pesticide Aerial Application

EPA is hosting a webinar titled “Best Practices for Aerial Application” on September 27, 2018, from 2 – 3:30 pm ET. This webinar is tailored for growers, pesticide applicators, pest management professionals, and other interested stakeholders who work in crop production.

Webinar presenter, Dr. Bradley Fritz, is an agricultural engineer from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and serves as the Research Leader of the Aerial Application Technology Research Unit at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. The presentation will cover different methods of aerial application, best practices for reducing spray particle drift when using aerial application equipment, nozzle selection, and the use of adjuvants as they relate to aerial application.

Learn more about reducing pesticide drift.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops

September 4, 2018 Thierry Besancon

Stinger 24(c) Special Local Need Label for Perennial Weed Control in Blueberries

The 24(c) Special Local Need Label for Stinger® that had expired on December 31, 2017 has finally been renewed up to December 31, 2020.

Stinger® is especially useful in blueberry for controlling composite and legume weeds. Common composite weeds found in our orchards include Canada thistle and other thistles, goldenrod species, aster species, common dandelion, mugwort (wild chrysanthemum), horseweed (marestail), and ragweed species. Legume weeds include vetch species and clover species.

Deep rooted perennials like goldenrod require multiple Stinger applications

The 24(c) Special Local Need Label for Stinger® is associated with some restrictions:

Preharvest Interval (PHI): 30 days
Maximum Stinger® amount per acre per year: 10.6 fl oz
Maximum Stinger® amount per application: 4 to 5.3 fl oz/a depending upon weed species
Rainfastness: 5 hours
Maximum Stinger® amount per acre per year: 10.6 fl oz
Stinger® can not be air-applied or chemigated

The application of Stinger® should be timed to match the emergence of the perennial weeds in the spring when the carbohydrate food reserves in the plant are at the lowest point. Treatment at this time reduces the weed’s chance of recovery and survival. Optimum results controlling deep rooted and hard to control perennial weeds, including Canada thistle, perennial asters, goldenrod species, and mugwort (wild chrysanthemum) will be obtained if the Stinger®® application is split.

First application: apply Stinger® at the rate of 1/3 pint/acre after blueberry bloom, in late April when the weed is emerging. Some weeds can “survive” for months on established existing foliage even though Stinger® suppresses all new growth. Tank-mix with Gramoxone to increase the spectrum of weeds controlled and kill existing foliage of perennial asters, goldenrod species and mugwort.
Second application: Apply another one third pint of Stinger® immediately after harvest in mid-summer. Spray the second application even though no growth of the target weed is evident. The second application is essential for the elimination of the hard to kill established perennial weeds. If the second application is skipped, expect to see the weed re-emerge in late August or September.

Stinger® is both preemergence residual herbicide and a postemergence foliar absorbed herbicide. The initial twisting and curling observed after application to susceptible species is due to the foliar absorption. Control of established perennials is due to residual activity of Stinger® in the soil which prevents regrowth from the roots. In certain species, such as mugwort, Stinger® prevents regrowth but does not kill the mature leaves. The plant will survive unless another herbicide, such as Gramoxone® SL 2.0 or Rely® 280, is used to defoliate the plant.

Do NOT apply Stinger® in a hand held sprayer used to “spray until wet”. Stinger® is a residual herbicide that must be applied on a rate per acre basis. When treating “patches” of perennial weeds, apply the recommended rate per acre with a calibrated sprayer. Treat ten to fifteen feet beyond the weed “patch” on all sides. Spray the sod or row middles adjacent to the weed “patch” in the row.

The label is available online on the CDMS website at the following address: http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld02P048.pdf

The use of any pesticide inconsistent with the label directions is a violation of Federal law.®

Filed Under: Blueberry

August 30, 2018 Thierry Besancon

Fall control of perennial weeds with herbicides

Late summer and fall are perfect times to work on tough-to-control perennial weeds such as Virginia creeper vine, bindweed, green-brier, Canada thistle, goldenrod, and poison ivy. These perennials are among the most difficult weeds to eradicate, especially because of their ability to generate new shoots from their root systems. Successful management strategies will mostly rely on herbicide that can move from the leaf to the below-ground plant parts. Timely initial application and consistency at controlling any regrowth with follow-up spot treatments are crucial for long-term control of these weeds.

3 different species of weeds that affect blueberries

Field bindweed (upper left), goldenrod (lower left) and green-brier (right) are some tough weed species of NJ blueberry and will warrant extra time for achieving successful control

Glyphosate (Roundup or other generic products) is the only postemergence herbicide labeled on blueberry that can provide good control of perennial weeds. Late summer and fall are good times for applying glyphosate as plant sap movement is mostly directed toward the roots where nutrients will be stored in anticipation of next season. Therefore, large volume of glyphosate can easily be translocated from the leaves to the roots, improving the efficiency of the herbicide at killing below-ground storage organs. It is VERY IMPORTANT for glyphosate to be applied when weed leaves are still green before fall colors appear.

Use extreme care not to contact crop green tissues (stems and leaves) with glyphosate. Glyphosate absorbed by crop green leaves and bark moves within the plant and can severely damage or kill above-ground and below-ground parts of annual crop and perennial treess. Weeds such as bindweed, Virginia creeper, and greenbrier may need to be pulled out of the trees so they can be treated safely. This may seem too slow to be practical, but consider what these weeds cost in lost income. For example, blueberry bushes covered by Virginia creeper vine may yield just 20% of their potential. This easily equates to a $5 to $10 loss per bush. The loss is incurred each year and increases as the vines spread to neighboring bushes. Investing 15 minutes to carefully pull vines out of that bush and safely treat them on the ground is money well spent.

Glyphosate should be applied through low pressure spot treatment to limit drift movements. Glyphosate absorption will be improved if ammonium sulfate (17 lbs / 100 gal water) is added to your spray mixture. For effective control, at least 50% of the foliage should be wet with glyphosate applied as a 2% solution (see your product’s label for rate necessary to reach this concentration).

Consider also “cut stump” applications for Virginia creeper or poison ivy that have large diameter stems. Apply a 2% glyphosate solution to the cambium (inner bark area) IMMEDIATELY after cutting the stem. Don’t let time for cutting to dry as this would prevent glyphosate absorption and translocation to below-ground plant parts.

Always apply glyphosate on weeds that are actively growing and not under drought stress.

Always refer to the commercial product label for rates and additional information.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape

May 18, 2018 Thierry Besancon

24(c) Special Local Need label for spot treatment with Callisto in cranberry

Callisto^® (mesotrione) is a systemic preemergence and postemergence herbicide. It works mainly on broadleaf weeds and sedges, and does not work well against most of grasses. When used preemergence, weeds take up the product through the soil during emergence. When used postemergence, weeds absorb the herbicide through the treated foliage and also through the soil.Plants affected by Callisto^® will turn white. Injury may take several days or weeks to show.

Callisto^® recently received a New Jersey 24(c) Special Local Need label for spot treatment of tough-to-control weeds in cranberry. This type of application will concentrate the herbicide on a localized area of the bog, allowing a higher use rate that can provide control of dodder, dewberry, Poison ivy, or smilax.

The addition of a crop oil concentrate (COC) type adjuvant at 1% v/v or a nonionic surfactant (NIS) type adjuvant at a rate of 0.25% v/v is recommended for improved control of emerged weeds.


Callisto^® Herbicide /Gallon	Maximum Solution per Acre per Application	Solution Description
0.8 teaspoon	30 to 60 gal	approximates 4 oz/acre rate
1.6 teaspoons	30 gal	approximates 8 oz/acre rate
3 tablespoons	5.3 gal	very concentrated, for woody weeds

There are a number of restrictions associated with this 24(c) SLN label:

Callisto^® may be applied in cranberries at a rate up to 8 fl oz/A and not more than 16 fl oz/A in total per year.
Callisto^® applications cannot exceed 2 per acre per year.
If two applications are made, they must be made no closer than 14 days apart.
In non-bearing cranberries, make the Callisto^® application(s) after the bud break stage, but not less than 45 days before flooding in fall or winter.
In bearing cranberries, make the Callisto^® application(s) after the bud break stage, but not less than 45 days prior to flooding or harvest.
DO NOT apply directly to water or areas where surface water is present outside the bog system.
DO NOT contaminate water when disposing of equipment wash water or rinsate.
DO NOT apply within 10 feet of surface water outside the bog system.
Do not apply when weather conditions may cause drift to non-target areas. Drift may result in injury to adjacent crops and vegetation. To avoid spray drift, DO NOT apply when wind speed is greater than 10 mph or during periods of temperature inversions. Use of larger droplet sizes will also reduce spray drift.

The new 24(c) SLN label is available at this address http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld56N003.pdf

Filed Under: Cranberry

April 18, 2018 Thierry Besancon

Matrix SG Supplemental Label for Highbush Blueberry

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a Section 3 Supplemental Label for use of the herbicide Matrix SG 25% WDG (rimsulfuron) for use on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. This label will be in effect through March 31, 2020.

Matrix may be applied to these crops at 4 oz product per acre. It may be applied pre-emergence or early post-emergence to the weeds. If weeds are present at application, add non-ionic surfactant at 0.25%to the tank mix. Matrix is most effective if moved into the soil (activated) by 0.5-inch rainfall.

On highbush blueberries, apply Matrix to bushes established at least one year. Apply in a strip on each side of the row, avoiding contact with green blueberry leaves or stems. Matrix is moderately soluble and should not be used on soils classified as sands to avoid leaching into the bush root zone. Do not exceed 4 ounces product per acre per year. If Matrix is applied in a band of 50 percent or less of the total area, a second application may be made each year. Matrix may be applied up to 21 days before harvest.

Matrix herbicide is active against several annual grasses and broadleaves, including mustards and pigweeds. It has fair activity against most of the composites, but is weak on common groundsel. It is also weak on common lambsquarters and eastern black nightshade. It will provide six to eight weeks of weed suppression at the labeled rate, and is most effective if used with other residual herbicides. Matrix will also provide suppression of yellow nutsedge. To obtain the most effective results, use the highest rate allowed based on the width of your spray band and make two applications. Make the first application when emerging nutsedge is 2 to 4 inches tall and repeat application 14 days later. If yellow nutsedge is greater than 6 inches tall at the first application, weed control effectiveness will be greatly reduced

Matrix is a group 2(B) ALS inhibitor; Sandea is the only other group 2 herbicide labeled and widely used in fruit crops. Matrix is a good tank-mix partner with the PS II inhibitors such as Karmex, Group 7(C2), or Princep, Group 5(C1), and the PPO inhibitors such as Chateau or Zeus, Group 14. However, growers should be reminded that population of common ragweed and marestail/horseweed in New Jersey have evolved resistance to ALS inhibiting herbicides. Therefore, we recommend that a foliar active herbicide with activity on common ragweed and marestail/horseweed (such as paraquat or glufosinate) must be tank mixed with Matrix SG herbicide for best control and resistance management when these weeds have already emerged.

Other commercial rimsulfuron herbicides may include these crops on the label. For instance, Solida from FMC includes blueberry and caneberry on the label

The new Supplemental Label is available from the internet at CDMS

Filed Under: Blueberry

April 18, 2018 Thierry Besancon

Select Max Supplemental Label for Bearing Pome and Stone Fruits

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a new Supplemental Label for use of the graminicide Select Max 0.97 EC (clethodim) for bearing pome and stone fruits. This includes apples, pears and all other pome fruits, and apricots, cherries, nectarine, peaches, plums and related hybrids. The label also includes low-growing berry crops (except cranberry and strawberry), including low-bush blueberry. Previously it was only available for use on non-bearing fruits.

The label allows use of 12 to 16 fluid ounces (0.09-0.12 lbs active ingredient) per acre of Select Max in each application, with a maximum of 64 fluid ounces per acre per year. There is a 14-day pre-harvest interval (PHI) for all the tree fruit. The PHI for small fruit is 45 days. Always include 0.25% v/v non-ionic surfactant in the herbicide solution (1 quart in 100 gallons of spray solution).
Select Max is effective against all annual grasses, and is especially effective against annual bluegrass, which Poast (sethoxydim) tends to miss. Select Max at the highest labeled rate is moderately effective against quackgrass, orchardgrass and other perennial grasses.

Select Max is similar to the other graminicides, in that it kills grasses slowly. Visual symptoms (yellowing of the leaves) appear about one week after application. Normally, about four to five days after application, the tallest part of the grass plants can be pulled off and will have yellow discoloration at the node where it breaks off. Large, well-established grasses, especially perennials, may need a second application of Select Max or other grass herbicide three to four weeks after the first application to kill them completely.

The Select Max Supplemental Label is part of the Select Max Section 3 Federal label. The Supplemental Label expires in May 2019. By then these uses should be included on the Federal label attached to containers. The new Supplemental Label is available from the internet at CDMS

Filed Under: Tree Fruit