Timely broadleaf weed control bonus with Overwatch® Herbicide

A rotation that predominantly involves wheat and lentils has seen different broadleaf weeds become an issue for agronomist Sam Holmes, of Nutrien Arthurton, on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. Mr Holmes said the central Yorke Peninsula was reliable, prime agricultural land with lentils controlling the rotation due to the gross margins available from the crop. “Broadleaf weeds in the lentils are a really big issue,” he said. “Bifora, milk thistle and prickly lettuce are becoming a little bit more difficult to control over time." With weed control in the lentils being challenged, it was important to use products in the cereal phase to address the issue. Overwatch® Herbicide was released in 2021 predominantly as a ryegrass product, but it also had some excellent activity on different broadleaf weeds. “The broadleaf weed control that Overwatch® Herbicide provides, in comparison to the other pre-emergent herbicides, is excellent,” Mr Holmes said. “We've had lentils in the rotation now for a long time, so bifora has become a major issue. Controlling bifora is now a big part of our weed management programme in the cereal phase of the rotation, and the level of control we're getting with Overwatch® Herbicide is absolutely magical! It’s also doing a really great job on milk thistle and prickly lettuce as well, allowing us to go back into lentils with a clean paddock and reduced seedbank of bifora and milk thistle."