Weed Control
Pre Emergence
Pre-emergence residual herbicides, which require soil moisture for activity, should form the backbone of weed control programmes in winter beans, as the post-emergence options are limited to just one product.
The pre-emergence choices include:
• Pendimethalin – straight products are no longer eligible on an EAMU for beans, so only approved for mixtures.
• Propyzamide – annual grasses, broad-leaved weeds (including some activity on germinating cleavers)
• Clomazone – cleavers, chickweed, shepherd’s purse, fools parsley and red dead-nettle.
• Pendimethalin + imazamox – wide spectrum of broad-leaved weeds plus early emerging volunteer oilseed rape.
• Acvlonifen (Emerger) - broad-leaved weed control (fat hen, mayweeds, field pansy and redshank) as well as some control of black grass.
Widen spectrum by adding pendimethalin (on an EAMU)
Post Emergence
There is only one approved post-emergence treatment for beans, which can be useful as a follow up treatment:
Bentazone – most effective on small weeds. Warmer conditions improve efficacy. Can control troublesome species such as cleavers and volunteer oilseed rape, if control with pre-em herbicides has been disappointing.
Only Basagran SG (BASF), Benta 480 (NUFARM) and Clayton Baritone will remain past 2020.
Grass Weeds
There are several selective post-emergence grass weed herbicides which can be used in winter beans. No products control annual meadow grass, others are only effective on the weed if application timing is accurate.
Graminicide choice includes:
• Fluazifop-p-butyl – wild oats, volunteer cereals, barren brome
• Quizalofop-p-ethyl – wild oats and other grasses
• Cycloxydim – wild oats, barren brome and other grasses
• Propaquizafop – wild oats, barren brome
• Quizalofop-P-tefuryl – a selective, systematic, foliar-applied graminicide for use on spoecified broad-leaved crops for post-emergence control of a range of annual and perennial grass weeds, including volunteeer cereals.
AT ALL TIMES FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER’S RECOMMENDATIONS