Dow AgroSciences has today unveiled a brand new cereal herbicide which will deliver UK growers unparalleled control of key broad-leaved weeds in both the autumn and spring.

Zypar is a co-formulation of Dow’s longstanding active florasulam – used in Spitfire – and Arylex Active which was introduced to the market in Pixxaro EC last year.

Effective control in cold and variable temperatures is the hallmark of products from the Arylex Active stable, and Zypar is no different.

“It cuts through those traditional limitations associated with other synthetic auxins,” says Dow’s cereal herbicide specialist Stuart Jackson.

“Providing sprayers can travel, growers can have complete confidence that Zypar will deliver really robust control.”

While Zypar’s chemistry shares many of the groundbreaking features that growers using Pixxaro have experienced, its ability to take out weeds in the autumn as well as the spring is a key point of difference.

Zypar is a contact-acting herbicide and can be applied from early growth stages through to growth stage 45 in all winter and spring cereals except oats.

It has outstanding control of key problem weeds such as cleavers, poppies, cranesbill, fumitory, fat hen, chickweed, brassicas and mayweeds.

Used in the autumn, Zypar has the added bonus of being able to take out volunteer beans and manage high populations of cleavers, poppies and cranesbill before they start to seriously compete with crops and cause a yield penalty.

However, growers will get their first opportunity to use the product this spring and are expected to make use of Zypar’s flexibility and alternative mode of action.

“Zypar is a very flexible and compatible product that sits happily in the tank with PGRs, trace elements, fungicides and other herbicides,” Stuart said.

“It can be applied at the T0 fungicide timing to remove competitive weeds early in a single pass. Using the product in this way negates the need for a complicated tank mix at T1.

“Those growers who will wait until the T2 fungicide timing can use Zypar to mop up weeds that have escaped treatment earlier in the spring, as well as clearing out late flushes of black bindweed which may come through in a wet season.

“Growers with suspected or confirmed resistance to ALS chemistry in poppies and chickweed will see the benefit of the alternative mode of action straight away.”

Dow’s cereal herbicide product manager Alex Nichols says the company has hit on a sweet spot with the new molecule, Arylex, and that its products have a diverse range of benefits to attract progressive growers.

“Efficiency is king in modern day agriculture and Zypar will strike a chord with so many farmers and agronomists,” Alex said.

“Large estates that have big acreages to cover need to get on early to manage their equipment and labour. They want flexibility on following crops and a product that mixes well in the sprayer.

“Smaller farms don’t have the time or the money to take several passes to control broad-leaved weeds – they want something that will do everything at once.

“They all need a product that they can rely on and with Zypar we have come up with a really strong solution.”

The liquid product is straight forward to use and does not require an adjuvant. Dose rates are form 0.75L/ha to 1.0L/ha, depending on weed size.