Fat hen are members of the Goosefoot family and can be found throughout lowland areas of the UK.
Fat hen
What is fat hen?
Fat hen (Chenopodium album) and the closely related and frequently confused common orache (Atriplex patula) are members of the Goosefoot family and can be found throughout lowland areas of the UK. Fat hen and common orache are annual plants, favouring cultivated or disturbed ground and can grow in a wide range of soil types.
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How can I identify fat hen?
Fat hen leaves are lanceolate to diamond shaped (hence the name Goosefoot family), the lower leaves toothed and mealy which are covered in small, whitish hairs given the impression of being covered in powder (especially at the cotyledon stage). The cotyledons have purplish undersides.
Common orache, is prostrate in growth habit and the cotyledons can be mealy with green undersides.
Biology
Fat hen mostly germinates in the spring and hence is particularly problematic in spring sown crops, though there is a lesser autumn germination event. However, this is rarely competitive in winter cropping. Fat hen has an upright growth habit, reaching heights of 1.5 – 2m. It has a small seed that can only germinate from shallow depth and its prevalence may be favoured by minimum tillage cultivation systems. The grey-green petalless flowers are in spikes, producing one seed per flower but can produce a great many flowers and seed estimates of 3000 –20,000 seeds per plant.
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Why is fat hen a problem?
Mature plants are large, fleshy and robust and are competitive with the crop. In spring planted crops they grow rapidly and can smother spring cereals, sugar beet and maize crops.
How do I control fat hen?
In cereal crops, control is achieved using Zypar® or Pixxaro® EC.
Zypar containing florasulam and halauxifen methyl can be applied from 15th September to 30th June.
Pixxro EC, (fluroxypyr and halauxifen methyl) can be applied from 1st February to 30th June.
Zypar and Pixxaro EC can be tank mixed with some sulphonyl urea (metsulfuron methyl, tribenuron or thifensulfuron) containing products where weed spectrum requires enhancing.
In potatoes, Titus® (rimsulfuron) plus Vivolt adjuvant provides suppression of fat hen, with control being improved by tank mixing with metribuzin.
In maize, the following products will control fat hen up to the 4 true leaf stage:
Principal® Forte (containing dicamba, nicosulfuron and rimsulfuron) + adjuvant can be applied from 1st May to 31st July.
Dragster®, containing rimsulfuron + thifensulfuron plus adjuvant can be applied from 1st May to 31st July.
Titus® (rimsulfuron) plus Vivolt adjuvant provides suppression of fat hen.
Accent® (nicosulfuron) can be applied from 2-8 leaf stage of maize and will control fat hen up to 4 true leaves.
In oilseed rape, the following products will control fat hen:
- Astrokerb® (propyzamide + aminopyralid) can be applied from 1st October to 31st January.
- Belkar® (picloram + halauxifen methyl) can be applied from 1st September to 31st December.
- Korvetto® (clopyralid + halauxifen methyl) can be applied from 1st March to, before 1st June.
Product choice
Accent Herbicide
Accent® provides broad-spectrum weed control in forage maize.
Astrokerb Herbicide
Astrokerb® is a contact and residual herbicide delivering control of blackgrass, poppy, mayweed and other grass and broad-leaved weeds in winter oilseed rape.
Belkar Herbicide
Belkar® is a new post-emergence autumn applied herbicide for superior control of a wide range of broad-leaved weeds in winter oilseed rape.
Dragster Herbicide
Dragster® is a post-emergence herbicide that controls a wide range of both grass and broad-leaved weeds.
Korvetto Herbicide
Korvetto® is a selective post-emergence spring applied herbicide for use on winter oilseed rape.
Pixxaro EC Herbicide
Pixxaro® EC is a herbicide for the control of broad-leaved weeds in winter and spring cereals, based on innovative chemistry.
Principal Forte Herbicide
Principal® Forte is a post-emergence herbicide that controls a wide range of both grass and broad-leaved weeds.
Titus Herbicide
Titus® is a sulfonylurea herbicide to control broad-leaved weeds in potato and forage maize.
Zypar Herbicide
Zypar® is a herbicide for the control of broad-leaved weeds in winter cereals (wheat, durum wheat, spelt, barley, rye, triticale, oats) and spring cereals.