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Target Your
Herbicide Use Do you routinely select a herbicide treatment for your spring cereals before first checking to see what weeds are present? There are good reasons to tailor the herbicide treatment to the weeds seen in the crop: · Many weeds compete only poorly with the crop but are beneficial for wildlife. Dead nettles, speedwells, field pansy, knotgrass and annual meadowgrass, for example, fall into this category. As well as being relatively poorly competitive, and providing a food source for invertebrates and farmland birds, they are a valuable part of our wildlife in their own right. · Local research on spring cereals has shown that the best gross margins are often achieved where rates are reduced, or fewer active ingredients are used. Remember, a vigorously growing crop can often compete effectively against weeds without the help of a costly herbicide treatment. · Agri-environment schemes provide further financial incentives to restrict herbicide use. Under the Conservation Cereal option, for example, an additional £115/ha is available to growers who agree to forego herbicide treatment. This option has proved popular, particularly in field margins where soil compaction may already have made herbicide use harder to justify. Contact local Countryside Management staff for further information. Where application of a herbicide, or any other type of pesticide, is justified, and you have selected a suitable product and an appropriate rate, consider the following: · Is your sprayer operator a member of the National Register of Sprayer Operators (NRoSO)? · Is the sprayer properly maintained, has it been tested under the National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) and is it calibrated correctly? · Are all steps taken to minimise spray drift? · Have you left an unsprayed 1m margin from the base of all hedges? · Have you observed a buffer zone (if required) to protect water courses, or have you carried out a Local Environmental Risk Assessment for Pesticides (LERAP)? · Have you left an area unsprayed so that washings can be disposed of in field, or has a specified disposal area been authorised by the Environment and Heritage Service? By considering these issues, pesticides are much more likely to do the job intended rather than cause environmental damage. Further information on safe use of pesticides can be found in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice for the Prevention of Pollution of Water, Air and Soil. These are available on the web The Voluntary Initiative, led by the Crop Protection Association and supported by the UFU, also encourages responsible pesticide use. For information on the Voluntary Initiative click here.
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