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It has been just over a year since Sumitomo Chemical Australia launched its renowned herbicide Valor® 500WG to cane growers. Valor can either be used with knockdown herbicides to improve broadleaved weed control, or at higher rates for residual control in sugar cane.
Cane farmers have long known that there is no such thing as a standard set and forget herbicide program. They are used to having to deal with the variations brought about by soil type, rainfall, cultural practices and variation in weed species. Add to this the high weed pressure that comes with tropical and subtropical agriculture, and the result is a different ‘brew’ for each farm if not each individual block. While a lot of growers used the lower rates of Valor to improve the performance of their knockdown herbicides, most was used at the higher rates for residual weed control. The rate range on the label (350 -700g /ha) means Valor can cover a multitude of situations such as first year plant cane, up to last ratoon, trash blanket or bare soil, high rainfall or low rainfall areas, without some of the plant back issues that can limit herbicide options. Add to this the broad range of weeds controlled by Valor and it’s not hard to see why it has found a fit into so many growers programs already.
The key advantage of Valor that is particularly important to cane growers is that Valor stays where you put it. Once Valor has been physically moved into the top layer of the soil by rainfall or irrigation, it won’t be leached down through the soil profile. It will only ever move with soil that is physically washed away. Valor is also UV stable and not volatile. This means it doesn’t need immediate incorporation to stop it from being lost to the atmosphere reducing the likelihood of drift onto other crops when spraying. It also won’t be broken down by the sun before it can be incorporated into the top of the soil for at least three weeks.
Queensland cane grower Wayne Scougall, who has been working on the farm since he was a boy, said that Valor was “Absolutely incredible. The last time we had a chemical like this was 50 years ago. I’d definitely recommend it to other sugar cane growers.”
To read Wayne’s full story on Valor click here