Growing game cover crops or wild bird seed mixtures comes with challenges. Corteva offers EAMU-approved products designed to control harmful weeds and support the establishment of a variety of game cover crop species.
Herbicide use in game cover crops
Effective weed control for game cover crops
Just like when growing a commercial crop such as wheat or oilseed rape there are many variable factors that influence the levels of success you will experience in establishing your game cover crop or wild bird seed mixture. These can include grazing by birds or rabbits, the weather and ground/soil conditions. However there are things you can do to achieve a good crop and one of these is reducing the weed population, to ensure the best possible chance of establishment and so now is the time to start planning your strategy.
Several different crop species are often established in the same place year on year to provide food and shelter for game birds or to promote wildlife and biodiversity. This itself complicates and limits the choice of herbicides available to the grower for weed control.
EAMU-approved products for game cover crops
Corteva Agriscience are proud to introduce our portfolio of products that have approval in game cover crops. These are products that all arable farmers will be very familiar with and are widely used in many crop scenarios which are totally transferable into game cover situations.
They can be used in a wide range of game cover crop species and will control the weeds that are most harmful to establishment.
The products which have Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) approval are:
Shield Pro™
Shield Pro™ is the tried and trusted herbicide for control of yield-robbing weeds in sugar beet, maize, vegetables and many other crops.
Kerb® Flo
Kerb® Flo is a residual herbicide for the control of a wide range of weeds in winter oilseed rape and several other agricultural and horticultural crops, and in forestry and amenity situations.
Starane® Hi-Load
Starane Hi-Load has many advantages including no sequencing or following crop restrictions, excellent crop safety and no known resistance to any target species.
Thistlex®
Thistlex® is a very effective translocated product for the control of both creeping and spear thistle. It is very safe to grass.
Herbicide choices for game cover crops
To see which products can be used with which cover crops and the weeds which they will control, please refer to the table below or download the Game Cover Topic Sheet.
Game cover crops SAFE with Corteva Agriscience products (EAMUs)
|
||||
Game Cover Crop |
Shield Pro |
Starane Hi-Load |
Kerb Flo |
Thistlex |
Borage |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
Buckwheat |
Some crop damage |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Canary Grass |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Fodder Radish |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Gold of Pleasure |
Some crop damage |
|
Yes |
|
Kale |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Maize |
Yes |
Some crop damage |
|
Yes |
Millet (white, red, reed) |
Yes |
White millet only |
|
Yes |
Miscanthus |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Mustard |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Some crop damage |
Phacelia |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
Quinoa |
Some crop damage |
|
Yes |
|
Sorghum |
Some crop damage |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Sunflowers |
|
|
Yes |
|
Sweet Clover |
|
|
Yes |
|
Triticale and other Cereals |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Tyfon Cabbage/Stubble turnip |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Some crop damage |
NOTES ON USE |
- Rates of 0.25 - 0.5 L/ha before end of July. |
- Rates of 0.6 L/ha. |
- Rates of 1.7 L/ha best applied pre-emergence of the crop. |
- Rates of 1.0 L/ha. - Weeds should be actively growing. - Thistles at rosette stage Note: Clopyralid can remain in plant residues and affect following crops - ensure full incorporation of crop residues before planting treated areas with susceptible crops. |
EAMU |
20239169 (GB only) and 20222190 (GB & NI) |
20210942 |
20210966 |
20231995 (GB only) and 20231996 (NI only) |
|
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Weeds and game cover crops CONTROLLED with Corteva Agriscience products (EAMUs)
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Weed/Game Cover Crop |
Shield Pro
|
Starane Hi-Load |
Kerb Flo |
Thistlex |
Annual Meadow Grass |
|
|
x |
|
Black Bindweed |
|
x |
x |
|
Black Nightshade |
|
x |
x |
|
Blackgrass |
|
|
x |
|
Charlock |
|
|
|
|
Chickweed |
|
x |
x |
|
Cleavers |
|
x |
|
|
Creeping Thistle |
x |
|
|
|
Fat Hen |
|
|
x |
x |
Forget-me-not |
|
x |
|
|
Fumitory |
|
x |
|
|
Groundsel |
x |
|
|
x |
Hemp-nettle |
|
x |
|
|
Mayweeds |
x |
|
|
x |
Redshank |
|
|
x |
|
Shepherd’s Purse |
|
|
|
|
Sow Thistle |
x |
|
|
x |
Speedwells |
|
|
x |
|
Sterile Brome |
|
|
x |
|
Volunteer Cereals |
|
|
x |
|
Volunteer Oilseed Rape |
|
|
|
|
Wild Oats |
|
|
x |
|
Jerusalem Artichoke |
x |
x |
|
|
Borage |
|
x |
|
|
Buckwheat |
|
x |
|
|
Fodder Radish |
|
x |
|
x |
Gold of Pleasure |
|
x |
|
x |
Kale |
|
x |
|
|
Mustard |
|
x |
|
|
Quinoa |
|
x |
|
x |
Sorghum |
|
|
|
|
Sunflowers |
x |
x |
|
x |
Sweet Clover |
|
x |
|
|
The data has been compiled from a limited number of trials and therefore users should bear this in mind when making applications to crops. All use is under the Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) – EAMU approval is for game cover crop as a general “group name”. No species are specified in the EAMU go to: pesticides.gov.uk and our herbicide choices for game cover crops topic sheet for more information.
All use is at the grower’s risk and there may be some crop effects. Use plant protection product safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further information including warning phrases and symbols refer to label.