Contents - Greenmount Press

Spraying
feature…
Phenoxy protection with
CottonMap
If some of your cotton plants look like those in the photo nearby,
they may have been affected by spray drift from a Group I (such
as Phenoxy) herbicide. Young cotton is particularly susceptible,
at a time when the use of phenoxys can increase for weed control
in summer fallow programs. The problem is further exacerbated
following summer rainfall that causes rapid weed germination and
growth, needing timely control.
Cotton Australia runs an annual campaign to help protect
Australia’s cotton crops from this problem that includes educating
users of phenoxy herbicide products and working with the
regulators to ensure the application directions are followed.
Cotton growers are encouraged to help overcome this
problem by:
■■
Writing to neighbours to let them know your cotton plans for
the season (there’s a template letter to make this easier on the
Cotton Australia website);
■■
Mapping cotton fields at www.cottonmap.com.au so that
neighbours can be made aware of susceptible cotton crops
nearby; and,
■■
Reporting any incident (or suspected incident) as soon as it
occurs to your closest Cotton Australia Regional Manager. It is
critical that incidents are properly logged and investigated and
Cotton Australia has a straightforward process that is simple
and confidential. A reporting form is available on the Cotton
Australia website.
More about CottonMap
CottonMap is a website where cotton fields are mapped online
so that potential users of Group I products are alerted to the
proximity of cotton fields to any area requiring weed control over
summer. The 2011–12 season saw 640,393 paddock hectares
Cotton plants damaged by 2,4D drift.
mapped by 368 registered users of CottonMap, a very significant
effort.
CottonMap is now accessible on smart phones and tablet
devices, thanks to a joint effort between Cotton Australia, the
Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), Grains
Research Development Corporation and Nufarm. There’s also
been some improvements made:
■■
Mobile devices will be redirected to www.cottonmap.com.au/
mobile, the smart-phone version of the site.
■■
Field submission updates have been added to better inform
users of the status of mapped fields.
■■
A ‘news’ item area has been added to the home page that will
host CottonMap updates.
■■
An email system has been added that allows all users to
receive email updates (opt-out option is available).
■■
Last season’s fields will be in the accounts of registered users,
so simply delete the non-cotton fields for this season (red X
button) then add any new ones and resubmit at the bottom of
the my-fields column.
■■
We know CottonMap passwords are not top-of-mind! Just
remember your user name is your email address and you can
force a system email containing your password as you log back
in. Look for the “Forgot Password” link.
■■
Current users with new email addresses (in 2012) will need to
create a new account.
■■
New users will be prompted to register after they submit a
new field(s).
To find out more and to map your fields, go to
www.cottonmap.com.au
Users of Group I Herbicides are asked to
remember the Phenoxy checklist
■■
Read and follow label requirements – it’s a legal requirement
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Only spray in suitable weather conditions;
■■
Use coarse to very coarse nozzles on your rig to ensure large,
heavy droplets are applied;
■■
Check www.cottonmap.com.au for cotton fields that could be
potentially impacted by your herbicide spray; and
■■
Notify your neighbours of when and where you intend to spray.
The Cotton Australia website has some important resources
and tools available to help growers:
■■
Letter for cotton growers to send to neighbours notifying
them of their cotton crops this season;
■■
Pesticide adverse experience incident report form;
■■
Herbicide damage information and identification guide;
■■
Spray drift fact sheet (Grains RDC);
■■
Best practice spray application (article by Bill Gordon);
■■
Surface inversions for Australian agricultural regions; and,
■■
Surface temperature inversions and spraying surface
temperature inversions and spraying.
28 — The Australian Cottongrower October–November 2012