Minor Use System Produces 9 New Herbicide Registrations for Horticulture Producers in 2007

It's been an exciting year for new herbicide registrations through the Minor Use System. The horticulture industry is reaping the benefits of much work over the past decade, and we now have 9 new herbicide registrations in horticultural crops in 2007. Of course, there has also been progress in insecticides and fungicides, but that's for another talk - or read about them on the OMAFRA Minor Use web pages at ontario.ca/crops.

Pumpkin and squash growers were able to use Dual II Magnum this season to control grassy weeds and some broadleaves during the early season, when it's important to keep crops weed-free. With the emergency use registration of Command again this summer, vine crop growers had good options to help them with managing weeds.

Weeds have always been a challenge for highbush blueberry growers, especially in the year of planting. Sencor herbicide was recently registered to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in new plantations. It will be useful to reduce weed competition at this critical stage for newly planted blueberries. This project was first submitted in 1999, and the final research was completed by Agriculture Canada's Pest Management Centre. Lowbush blueberry growers can use Spartan herbicide, which contains tribenuron, for a post-harvest treatment in the vegetative year, to control ferns and loosestrife as a spot treatment.

Growers of outdoor ornamental crops, including container, field and liner-grown plants, as well as landscape managers will also have 2 new herbicides in their tool box next year. Weed management is a big challenge for nursery and landscape managers, with such a diverse group of plant species and soil types. Dual II Magnum is now registered to control annual grasses, nightshade and suppress red root pigweed in tolerant woody species such as Rhododendrons, Euonymus burning bush, Junipers, Eastern white-cedar, as well as herbaceous crops like day-lily and hosta. The label allows growers to test for tolerance on other species and use it on crops that show tolerance to Dual II Magnum.

Growers of containerized outdoor ornamentals can also use Gallery herbicide to control some tough broadleaf weeds like St. John's-wort, pineappleweed, lamb's-quarters, purslane, shepherd's-purse, low cudweed and purslane speedwell. Gallery was already used by forestry nursery producers, and will be a welcome addition for outdoor ornamental growers.

Onion growers can use Pardner on dry bulb onions for post-emergent broadleaf control. Research on Pardner on onions has been on-going since the '80's, and will be a big help on redroot pigweed and common groundsel.

For those trying new crops, we have 2 new registrations on peanuts - Frontier for pre-emergent broadleaf and grass control, and Poast Ultra + Merge, which is very effective to control emerged grassy weeds.

And finally, just this week, cabbage growers will have a new choice to protect their transplants from weeds. Frontier herbicide was just approved for cabbage to be applied before transplanting.

So as we review the year, and make plans for the next growing season, let's be thankful for the successes in the Minor Use program to provide growers with the tools they need to continue to produce the best food in the land.

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