Home News & Events Crystal®, 20 years and still the best start to ryegrass control

Crystal®, 20 years and still the best start to ryegrass control

Challenges for autumn 2021:

We know that following last season many growers will want to drill their winter cereals earlier this autumn as the harsh conditions and experiences of last autumn are still clear in the memory. If you are drilling winter cereals, and you know you have ryegrass present in your fields, then our key advice remains the same. General thinking is the same, cultural control techniques that are used for black-grass are still the best advice for ryegrass.

  • Harvest hygiene – Reduce the spread of grass seeds off the field.
  • Stale seedbed and stubble management – depending on weather conditions and soil moisture, actively promote a ryegrass chit to spray off or wait for moisture.
  • Delay drilling – all the evidence points to delayed drilling providing a good contribution to reduced ryegrass emergence. Wait as long as you can, particularly in your bad fields.
  • Make sure seedbed conditions are suitable to get the best out of soil residual chemistry.
  • Get your best material on pre-emergence – Apply Crystal® as your best start to ryegrass control.

Crystal® – The best start to ryegrass control

Crystal® has proved year after year that the combination of flufenacet and pendimethalin provides the best start to your ryegrass control program.

The graph above shows a trial data sets from last season and compares the performance of Crystal® + DFF versus Liberator® + Proclus® against ryegrass when applied pre-emergence. These trials were conducted across a range of locations, soil types and weather conditions and highlight the consistent performance you can achieve when using Crystal® as the start of your ryegrass programme.
The graph above shows a trial data sets from last season and compares the performance of Crystal® + DFF versus Liberator® + Proclus® against ryegrass when applied pre-emergence. These trials were conducted across a range of locations, soil types and weather conditions and highlight the consistent performance you can achieve when using Crystal® as the start of your ryegrass programme.

Flufenacet is renowned for its grassweed herbicide control, but it’s important not to underestimate the power of pendimethalin, and the benefits it brings to a robust herbicide programme. The residual compound not only contributes to the management of black-grass, but it also offers strong, long lasting broad-leaved weed control.

The picture above shows the high level of control achieved when using Crystal® in a high-pressure ryegrass situation.
The picture above shows the high level of control achieved when using Crystal® in a high-pressure ryegrass situation.

Cultural controls such as delayed drilling, spring cropping and rogueing are all vital when it comes to reaching high levels of control needed to finally move the needle in a positive direction on ryegrass. Effective pre-emergence herbicide application is still one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox when utilised alongside cultural controls, so it’s important to use the best on the market.

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

Crystal contains flufenacet and pendimethalin. Picona contains picolinafen and pendimethalin. Stomp Aqua contains pendimethalin. Liberator contains flufenacet and diflufenican. Hurricane contains diflufenican. Defy contains prosulfocarb. Proclus contains aclonifen. Crystal and Stomp are registered trademarks of BASF. All other products are those of other manufacturers where proprietary rights may exist. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to /en/