GROWTH REGULATION IN CEREALS AND OILSEED RAPE IS A PRIORITY

• Many winter crops of wheat and oilseed rape were drilled early, established well and the majority now are well advanced in their development. Some experts are estimating that oilseed rape is four weeks ahead of last year.
• These advanced crops with greater than normal plant populations are at high risk of lodging later in the season and required a planned growth regulator programme.

OPTIMISE GROWTH REGULATION IN CEREALS WITH ARMA

• The majority of cereal crops will need robust growth regulation starting at stem extension stage (GS31-32) in order to shorten crop height and to strengthen the stem.
• This is particularly so when so many popular varieties are prone to lodging. Deben and Xi19 have a 4 rating to lodging, with Glasgow having a rating of only 5. Claire, Zebedee and Oakley all have a 6 rating to lodging. Several key varieties such as Deben, Mascot, Istabraq, Solstice and Xi19 are tall (over 90 cms without growth regulation).
• Adding ARMA to early growth regulators will improve their effectiveness and flexibility. ARMA will increase the uptake of chlormequat four fold when applied at 4°C and two fold at 12°C.
  
  

  Growth Regulator - Chlormequat + ARMA	Growth Regulator - Meteor + ARMA

  
  
• For products less affected by temperature, such as Moddus and Meteor, ARMA will also offer considerable benefits in terms of penetration and uptake (See graph above).
• Regarding the new plant growth regulator Canopy, Dr. Rudermacher of BASF stated that “Canopy is best applied with an appropriate adjuvant to improve coverage and uptake and where water quality is poor”. ARMA is such an appropriate adjuvant that can help in these situations.

OPTIMISE GROWTH REGULATION IN OILSEED RAPE WITH ARMA

• Winter oilseed rape is also prone to lodging, following good crop establishment and a mild winter.
• Lodging in this crop can be responsible for between 30 to 40% yield loss. It will also increase disease risk and the overall cost of harvesting.
• In addition canopy management in oilseed rape in the spring is essential as it helps to create an optimum sized canopy that produces more seeds per pod and bigger seeds and so contributes to maximising the crop’s yield potential.
• The use of an active growth regulating triazole fungicide such as metconazole (Caramba/SunOrg Pro) will manage canopy size, reduce lodging risk, increase rooting and keep a hold on diseases. ARMA has been demonstrated to enhance the performance of triazole fungicides.