Crystal® - Out of Winter Use before GS23

Crystal® Label Reminder

Another challenging season has left many crops that were drilled late in the autumn without an application of pre-em residual chemistry. It’s important not to forget that the Crystal® label changed last year and the December 31st cut off timing was removed. This was changed to “Before 3rd tiller stage (GS23)”. So, there’s still an opportunity to safely apply Crystal®.

Crystal® can still be used on winter cereals beyond the end of December, provided they haven’t gone beyond GS23.

As a reminder, a winter sown crop is one that is drilled before the 1st February each year regardless of which variety is sown.

It is important to note that the label statement ‘Do not apply Crystal® pre-emergence to crops drilled after 30th November’ is still in effect into the new year.

This is a precautionary statement as crop thinning can occur if newly sown and sprayed crops sit in waterlogged conditions for a long period. Slow growing roots and shoots in cold, wet soils sprayed with pre-em herbicides have greater potential to suffer crop effects. Also, later drilled crops may not be sown into the best seedbeds in terms of seed depth, seed coverage and soil clods. These poor conditions are not conducive for crop safety with soil residual chemistry.

Current Situation

Late drilling and the subsequent challenges has meant there are some crops that have not had pre-em residual chemistry applied, leaving them vulnerable to heavy weed pressure. There is still a big benefit to applying Crystal® as a residual component to crops at an early post-em growth stage.

Late drilled crops are often slower establishing, remain open and less competitive. A post-em residual herbicide is generally safe on the crop so will not knock it back and the root uptake and residual properties means the chemistry provides good and lasting control against newly emerging grassweeds

BLW Control Benefit

Another benefit of applying Crystal® to late drilled crops now, is that it will offer good residual control of spring germinating BLWs. This will help to reduce the need for further BLW follow up sprays later in the season when tank mixtures are already getting complicated.

The control claims are based on the growth stage of the weed. You may be applying Crystal® post-em to your crop (up to crop GS 23) but many of these weeds may yet to have germinated which is why Crystal is ideal in providing long lasting residual control.

‘Best Use’ Advice for spring 2021

  • Make a judgement field by field and crop by crop on:
    - Soil conditions
    - Crop stress factors, waterlogging, frost etc
    - Crop growth stage and current growing conditions
  • Apply soil residual chemistry as soon as safely feasible.
  • If applying soil residual chemistry with contact material, be aware of the crop growth stage, temperature and growing conditions in relation to crop effects from such tank mixes

If you have any queries or require further information, please contact your local BASF agronomy manager. Contact details can be found at www.agricentre.basf.co.uk. Alternatively, call our technical hotline: 0845 602 2553

Technical Services Hotline

Crystal®

Crystal®

Crystal® is a herbicide with residual and contact activity for the control of black-grass, annual grasses and broad leaved weeds in winter wheat and winter barley.

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