FAQs
If you have any suggestions as to how it may be improved, please feel free to mail them to Marketing Manager, Crop Protection, Sumitomo Chemical Australia Ltd via the contact form on this site.
Generally not. While farmers have often seen pasture growth responses with lower rates of nitrogen fertilizers than they traditionally use, best results have been seen when ProGibb is used in combination with winter nitrogen fertilizer programmes. Pasture needs to have sufficient moisture and nutrient to allow it to respond to ProGibb.
Timing of the first application varies between districts, pasture species and seasons. As a rule, when pasture production appear to be slowing down due to falling temperatures, ProGibb will provide a benefit. This can be as early as May in some areas, but more commonly in June and July.
Yes, ProGibb is compatible with a wide range of herbicides and insecticides and this is a feature of the advanced soluble granule formulation.
Yes, this combination is commonly used. The ProGibb formulation mixes well and the combining the products saves on application costs.
Some herbicides can set back the grass pastures species while controlling the weeds. This effect is generally short lived, and is often seen as yellowing or short term slow down of growth. While ProGibb will not stop this occurring, this effect will not stop ProGibb delivering the additional pasture growth. Additionally, the pasture may recover quicker.
No. These nozzles are designed to apply liquid fertilizers that are primarily taken up through the plants root system. ProGibb is absorbed by the leaf material of the plant and therefore needs to be applied evenly over the pasture surface. Solid stream nozzles will give a very patch response to ProGibb. Any boom spray suitable for herbicide applications will be suitable for ProGibb.
A non ionic wetter may improve the coverage and penetration of ProGibb.
Yes, analysis of ProGibb treated pasture shows that no significant change occurs in the % of dry matter, moisture content, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, DM digestibility or metabolizable energy (ME). You simply get more pasture of the same quality.
Because ProGibb promotes cell elongation, the growth straight after application is quite rapid and the chlorophyll production takes time to catch up. This effect disappears within a couple of weeks, and is not an indication that the pasture is nitrogen deficient, or that the new growth produced has any lower nutritional value.
Yes. Extreme cold and stress can stop pasture growth regardless of management techniques. This is commonly seen after severe frosts, but is species dependant. ProGibb works best when soil temperatures are above 5oC (measured at 10cm depth at 9.00am).
ProGibb needs to be absorbed by the leaf surface as there is little or no root uptake. Pasture grazed down too low will have very little leaf surface to accept the ProGibb. As a general guide, pasture should be grazed down no lower than 1,000 kg of dry matter per hectare.
ProGibb needs to be absorbed into the grass leaf to be effective. This can take a number of hours depending on drying conditions at application. Light rain or drizzle after application will not require ProGibb to be re-applied. However, rainfall heavy enough to wash the product off the grass within the first few hours will diminish the result achieved.
The label provides a range of rates. Generally 20 grams of product per hectare provides maximum response. Lower rates (10 g / ha) can be used on very responsive species such as phalaris. The rate selected should be applied in enough water to give good even coverage of the pasture, generally around 100 litres of water per hectare.
No. The ProGibb effect only last between 3 -4 weeks, by which time the pasture is ready for grazing / cutting. After that, further applications with provide additional responses provided temperatures are still low enough to be slowing pasture growth.
No. The extra growth achieved in winter with ProGibb needs to be used before Spring by either grazing or cutting. Untreated pastures will ‘catch up’ to ProGibb treated areas once the warmer weather starts.
No, the extra dry matter produced by ProGibb in winter is additional to the spring growth that will come with the warmer temperatures. There has been a suggestion that pasture treated with ProGibb in winter may have a slight ‘bounce down’ effect in Spring, however, the effect has be very hard to quantify and is overshadowed by the large jump in production that occurs in Spring.
No, studies have shown that the additional vegetative growth in winter has no bearing, positive to negative, in pastures that are taken through to harvest for grain (dual purpose cereals, oats, etc). It is worth considering that this extra pasture would have used up extra water and nutrients, so if either becomes deficient, yield may suffer.
ProGibb is a non toxic product with no withholding period. The recommendation is to keep stock of treated pasture for 3 to 4 weeks to allow the pasture to achieve the increased growth that ProGibb promotes, not because there are withholding, pre-slaughter or residue issues.
Yes, ProGibb is an Australian Organic Registered Farm Input with Australian Organic Ltd (Formerly BFA Ltd).