Brought to you by Bayer Crop Science
'Clean construction plan through weed control in maize'
"In this livestock area, there is almost always an interest in good silage maize. And the yields here are also downright good – better than grain. Furthermore, weed control in maize allows you to brush away many troublesome weeds, including potato storage. That suits me too. very good as a farmer."
Maarten van der Loo from Moergestel (N-Br.) explains in a few sentences why maize cultivation has had a fixed – and also quite large – share in his crop plan for years. Every year he grows about 80 hectares of maize, which is usually sold as silage maize, but sometimes also as grain maize. "Maize is a fairly easy and safe crop. And with an average of 50 tons of silage maize or 12 tons of grain maize per hectare, the yields here on the sandy soils are just good," says Van der Loo. The first alternative to maize, in his opinion, is spring wheat. He has sowed a few more hectares of this this season – because of the good prices. But with yields of around 8 tons, the balance is often slightly lower than that of silage maize, he says. Van der Loo thinks the trade is another nice 'plus' of silage maize. "Because we are here in the livestock area, there is always interest in silage maize. So there is always something going on with the sale. The buzz in the market, and of course also the contact with livestock farmers, I just like that," says him with a big smile.
Corn after potatoes
Within the arable farming plan, the maize is usually grown after the potatoes. And this preferably happens with as few actions and processing as possible. For example, after the potatoes have been harvested, only light tillage is carried out with a fixed tine. Plowing hasn't happened for a long time. "That is not necessary for maize and it also saves a lot on fuel," says Van der Loo. Where necessary, Roundup is applied again in the spring, especially to clean up root weeds and difficult grasses.
According to Van der Loo, growing maize (after potatoes) also provides additional options for combating tough weeds such as bindweed and potato storage. "And you have to grab those possibilities with both hands," says advisor Wouter van der Waal of CZAV, who is also present at the meeting. As far as he is concerned, the control of potato storage starts with an optimal application of MH 60 – a sprout inhibitor that is applied a few weeks before the potato harvest. "With good absorption in the tubers, the number of storage plants in the spring is reduced to a minimum. What is then left can be cleaned even further with smart weed control in the maize," he says.
This season a mix of Laudis, Monsoon Active, Calaris®, Kart® and Frontier® Optima is used in the maize. Besides the fact that these five agents provide a very broad and complete weed control, especially Monsoon Active and Kart also give an 'extra tap' to potato storage.
Van der Waal also points to the central role of the agent Laudis. This will now partly take over the work of Calaris, because the maximum dosage for this has been reduced from 1,5 to 0,5 liters per hectare (with DRT lower than 95). "Laudis was actually already the basic ingredient in the mix, but that will be even more so next season."
Five means is a lot…
Although the broad mix of five agents is 'almost ideal' according to the advisor for properly cleaning maize fields, he thinks the number of components is about the max when it comes to crop safety. "Five active substances – or six, when a little boron is added as well – can still form a significant attack on the maize plants. That is why it is more important than ever to spray on time, preferably no later than the four-leaf stage. Every gram of substance that a maize plant does not absorb is a growth and development gain," he says. Finally, he also points out the possibility of confusion and errors with an increasing number of resources in the tank. "Every year accidents happen, sometimes resulting in serious damage. So again: Laudis, Monsoon Active, Calaris®, Kart® and Frontier® Optima are a perfect mix against corn weeds, but spray on time and keep your head when filling there."
Calaris® is a registered trademark of Syngenta
Frontier® is a registered trademark of BASF
Kart® is a registered trademark of Corteva Agriscience
