New Herbicide: Aim (carfentrazone)

What is it? Aim EC is a postemergent herbicide made by FMC Corporation, and distributed by Nufarm Canada www.nufarm.ca. Aim can be used as a hooded sprayer application in strawberries, bushberries and caneberries (and many other crops). It belongs to Group 14, which are herbicides that inhibit the PPO enzyme, causing the cell membranes to leak, and cells to dry up and die. Other herbicides in this group include Blazer, Goal, Reflex and Ronstar.

What is unique about Aim? It is a reduced risk herbicide (rated by both PMRA and the US EPA). Aim was the first herbicide registered in Canada under PMRA's pilot Program 914, with an accelerated registration process of 4-6 months (because it is a reduced risk herbicide). Reduced risk products are good choices to fit into your sustainable production systems.

When to use Aim in berries: Aim can only be used once per season. Use it in new and established berries, applied with a hooded sprayer between rows. We will be testing it between plastic beds in strawberries this year, Further work is needed to evaluate Aim at strawberry renovation to narrow rows, and in raspberries to control shoots that come up at the edges of the rows. The preharvest intervals are: strawberries & bushberries: 1 day PHI; caneberries: 15 day PHI.

How to use Aim herbicide: Apply POST between rows, 2-4 weeks after planting, with a hooded sprayer that will prevent any spray from touching the berries. Apply 37 to 117 mL/ha (14 to 28 g/ac), in 100 mL water/ha (40 L/ac) with an adjuvant (Agral 90 or Ag-Surf @ 0.25% v/v or Merge @ 1% v/v). Drive slower than 8 kph to avoid bouncing equipment. Good coverage is essential. Allow a 3m buffer zone to terrestrial habitat.

Weeds controlled by Aim: Weeds should be small, no more that 10 cm tall. Labeled weeds include: pigweeds, lamb's-quarters, smartweeds (lady's thumb), nightshades, velvetleaf, carpetweed, flower-of-an-hour, purslane, prickly lettuce, corn spurry, cocklebur and jimsonweed.

Bottom line: This is a new herbicide choice for us with reduced risk to our environment, and to people. We need to learn the best fit for Aim herbicide in our weed management systems.