This buyers' guide appears in the April 2019 issue of Potato Grower.
As every grower knows, weeds can be harsh, nasty and unforgiving, in spite of warm, cuddly-sounding names like morning glory, marestail and lambsquarter. It takes serious work and planning to make sure your potatoes live in comfort and aren’t crowded out of their rightful space. Our herbicide buyers’ guide is here to help you make the most well-informed decision possible when it comes to weed control this season.
Always read and follow product label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status.
Oro Agri
(559) 442-4996
www.oroagriusa.com
ORO-RZ Soil Adjuvant
ORO-RZ adjuvant improves the efficacy of soil-applied, pre-emergent herbicides while contributing to better soil health. ORO-RZ improves soil hydraulic conductivity, even in hydroscopic soils, to move the herbicide solution into soil pore spaces.
This lowering of hydraulic conductivity and movement into pore spaces helps lay down a uniform barrier in the top few inches of the soil, where most weeds germinate. Because of the low surface tension of ORO-RZ, the herbicide spreads uniformly, eliminating coverage gaps so germinating weeds can’t emerge through the blanket of herbicide protection.
ORO-RZ also contributes to soil health. It has very low surface tension, so it flows within micropores in the soil, leading to better aeration and water penetration. ORO-RZ even helps penetrate and break up pockets of hydrophobic soil. These improvements to aeration and soil structure encourage microbial and adventitious root growth and, ultimately, a healthier soil environment.
WETCIT Foliar Adjuvant
WETCIT, now with TransPhloem technology, is a foliar adjuvant with great benefits for potato growers—from pre-plant to harvest. Used at lower rates, it is an excellent spreader for contact herbicides. Used at higher rates, WETCIT is a superior penetrant that delivers herbicide active ingredients to target sites within weeds, quicker and in higher concentrations, compared to other adjuvants such as crop oils, methylated seed oils, high-surfactant methylated seed oils, and non-ionic surfactants. This means WETCIT improves the speed and efficacy of systemic herbicides, like Roundup, compared to these other types of adjuvants.
Come harvest time, using WETCIT with a desiccant will help ensure great vine kill to improve potato quality and aid in harvesting. WETCIT’s performance with contact or systemic pesticides simplifies choosing the right adjuvant for the job and eliminates the need to have several adjuvant products on hand.
Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC
(800) 334-9481
Bou
ndary 6.5 EC
Turn to Boundary 6.5 EC herbicide to keep potato fields free of weeds like yellow nutsedge, black nightshade, common lambsquarters, pigweed and many other early-season grass and broadleaf weeds. This soil-applied herbicide from Syngenta delivers proven early-season grass and broadleaf weed control, excellent resistance management and rotation flexibility. By using Boundary 6.5 EC, growers can extend the post-application window up to five weeks after planting, thereby protecting yields and keeping fields cleaner for longer. Boundary 6.5 EC contains two active ingredients with different modes of action and controls weeds that are resistant to glyphosate and ALS-inhibitors.
Boundary is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.
Reglone
PIC: Reglone_PantoneC
For easier harvests with better-quality potatoes, growers can rely on the performance of Reglone desiccant. The steady vine-killing action of Reglone keeps the grower in control of potato development, allowing tubers to bulk up while vines dry down. Research shows that a steady top kill can reduce the incidence of stem-end discoloration and stem-end rot compared to faster vine-killing methods. This extra time also allows potatoes to develop a firm skin-set, protecting harvest quality for optimal yield. Reglone also simplifies harvest by eliminating troublesome vines and weeds.
Reglone is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.
FMC
Aim EC herbicide from FMC targets leaves and stems for complete potato desiccation. The herbicide should be applied as a foliar to potatoes in the later stages of senescence for desiccation of foliage and vines. Aim EC herbicide also desiccates late-season susceptible broadleaf weeds (including kochia, lambsquarters, nightshade and more) to aid tuber harvest.
Westbridge Agricultural Products
(800) 876-2767
www.westbridge.com
marketing@westbridge.com
Suppress Herbicide EC
SUPPRESS Herbicide EC is a highly effective EPA-registered tool for weed management programs. It is registered as a broad-spectrum contact herbicide for post-emergent, non-selective weed control for use in and around all food and non-food crops. Westbridge’s proprietary and patented formulation is an emulsifiable concentrate that is OMRI- and WSDA-approved for use in certified organic food production.
Weed control is an ever-present problem in agriculture, and there are few effective and economical options available for use on organic food crops. SUPPRESS Herbicide EC helps organic growers meet their production goals, and it is an excellent option for conventional growers to use as a rotational herbicide where weeds have become resistant to other chemical herbicides.
SUPPRESS Herbicide EC has proven efficacy in years of university research and field trials. This low-foaming, easy-to-use herbicide has no pre-harvest interval, will not volatilize and provides rapid, effective control on various weeds.
BASF
(973) 245-6000
Outlook
Outlook herbicide provides potato growers with powerful, consistent control of grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds that can impact their crop. The pre-emergent herbicide should be applied between planting and crop emergence to reduce early-season competition and ensure the potato crop gets off to a strong start. Applications before weeds germinate can control a wide spectrum of weed species, including nightshades, lambsquarters, pigweeds and many others.
Aside from providing residual control of weeds, Outlook herbicide also binds more tightly to the soil to minimize leaching, even under the wettest conditions. Additionally, Outlook washes off residue more readily in all tillage systems.
Gowan Company
(800) 883-1844
www.gowanco.com
Eptam 7E
Eptam 7E is a trusted selective herbicide used in potatoes, dry beans, alfalfa and other crops. Its superior crop safety gives growers the security to know they’ll get the best yield potential from their potatoes, where other herbicides may take a piece of that yield. It also has excellent plant-back timing (45 days maximum), so growers don’t have to worry about next year’s rotation.
Eptam 7E has excellent control on annual grasses, some perennial weeds and key broadleaf weeds like hairy nightshade, pigweed, common lambsquarters and sedges. It forms a barrier that disrupts seedling shoot development by inhibiting the lipid synthesis, thus preventing the seedling development and emergence. Weeds that do emerge are weakened and more susceptible to post-emergence chemistries.
Eptam’s application flexibility allows use as a pre-plant incorporated, post-plant incorporated, and post-emergence layby treatment to control the weed seedbank before they emerge. It can be applied either by ground spray or chemigation.
Eptam 7E is a Group 8 herbicide in the thiocarbamate class.
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Vida is a PPO, Group 14 herbicide. It inhibits weeds’ ability to produce protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) and acts as a burner to actively growing broadleaf weeds.
Its tank-mix flexibility allows for a choice of other burndown chemistries. It is also compatible with most adjuvants. Adding AMS and an NIS, COC, or MSO boosts the control.
Vida can be used as a pre-plant burndown, at planting, or post-plant pre-emergence for potatoes. It has a flexible plant-back of zero to one day on an assortment of labeled crops, and a 30-day plant-back for unlabeled crops.
Vida provides extensive broadleaf weed control; the list gets even longer when mixed a selected tank-mix partner. The additional benefit of adding Vida to a program is its control on glyphosate- and ALS-resistant weeds.
Wilbur-Ellis
(720) 306-6340
ag.wilburellis.com
Base Camp LV 6 
Base Camp LV 6 is a 2,4-D Ester formulation, labeled for in-crop and other applications. It controls a wide spectrum of broadleaf weed species, including glyphosate and ALS-resistant weeds. Base Camp LV 6 is formulated for improved efficacy, even in areas where hard water is a problem.??
Drexel Chemical
(901) 487-6005
Pin Dee 3.3 EC
Pin Dee 3.3 EC is a Group 3 herbicide that controls numerous grasses and broadleaf weeds, including stinging nettle. When used on potatoes, it must be incorporated or rainfall-activated within seven days. The effective mode of action controls many herbicide-resistant weeds.
Quik-Quat
Quik-Quat is a pre-plant or pre-emergence herbicide burndown herbicide that achieves rainfastness in as little as 30 minutes. With 3 pounds of Paraquat per gallon, Quik-Quat is easily tank-mixed and effective in controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds. It can be applied up to ground-cracking stage, before potatoes have emerged.
Trifluralin 4EC
Trifluralin 4EC controls numerous grasses and broadleaf weeds. It must be incorporated within 24 hours, but disrupts weeds’ growth processes during germination and has excellent tank-mixing qualities.