Contents - Greenmount Press

news & new products
Canopy now registered for
whitefly in cotton
The popular Caltex precision spray oil, Canopy, has been
granted added label claims for suppression of Silver Leaf
Whitefly (SLW) in cotton and suppression of aphids in
canola and pulses.
These latest additions to the Canopy label make it a genuine
all-rounder for pests of summer and winter crops. In addition,
Canopy can also be used as an adjuvant, at the same rate as
Hasten with a range of selective grass herbicides commonly used
in winter crops.
Caltex Precision Spray Oils Technical and Marketing Manager,
David Johnson, said Canopy has become a very strategically
Squeezing out
that extra bit of
yield
At the recent excellent Australian Cotton Conference there
was an interesting talk on Current Economics of Irrigated and
Dryland Cotton Production and the general message was that
there is a Top 20 – the most profitable 20 per cent of growers –
who are doing well. They are followed by a large percentage of
growers who are going to be struggling as cotton prices remain
relatively low. The talk looked at what put a grower in the Top 20
and, not surprisingly, it was controlling input costs and squeezing
out that bit of extra yield that takes growers into the profit zone.
TwinN is a microbial bio-fertiliser that fixes nitrogen into the
crop and increases root growth, enabling more efficient capture
of applied nitrogen fertiliser. This technology aligns exactly with
the Top 20 goals since it can be used to decrease N requirements
by about 30 kg to provide cost savings, or can be applied on
top of standard N rates when cotton prices are high and yield
maximisation is the only goal. Growers who used TwinN in their
2012 crop are recording a 0.5–0.8 bales per hectare yield increase
with cuts to N ranging from no cut to 30–40 kg per hectare
reductions.
Managing Director of Mapleton Agri Biotec, Rob Bower, says
“When cotton prices are very high it doesn’t take a lot of thought
to work out the economics of what to apply to the crop – just about
everything. But when prices are low it becomes vital to get that extra
yield without increasing costs and TwinN does exactly that.”
TwinN is applied by overhead irrigation, via liquid injection
under knife point, or water run up the furrow. Rob Bower
commented “it has taken us a while to work out how to apply
TwinN in cotton farming systems and we are grateful to a number
of growers who worked out how to use the product in their
systems then told us how it was done.” Application is generally at
the start of squaring although later applications are also effective.
Information on TwinN and results from trials in various crops are available
on www.mabiotec.com
important insecticide for cotton pests as well as a popular low
rate defoliation aid.
“Canopy provides an economically and scientifically sound
way of managing resistance problems and tackling emerging
insect pests such as SLW in cotton, in addition to controlling other
common sucking pests such as green mirids and cotton aphids.
“Growers at the recent Australian Cotton Conference on the
Gold Coast were urged to be mindful of the need to control
chewing and sucking pests in both Bollgard and conventional
crops, and to avail themselves of all available options to manage
aphid and SLW resistance to neonicotinoid and OP insecticides.
“Because of its physical modes-of-action, Canopy does not
trigger any resistance mechanisms and greatly enhances the
activity of some key biological products which are important to
maintain integrated pest management strategies.
“When used before insect numbers build-up, and strategically
throughout the season, Canopy delays SLW population
development and growers can avoid being locked into more
costly options later in the season.
“Importantly, use of Canopy at every spray opportunity may
avoid insect damage and reduce spread of diseases such as
Cotton Bunchy Top caused by aphid infestations.”
David said the latest registrations for SLW suppression, oilseed
and pulse pest control and as a grass herbicide adjuvant, made
Canopy the product of choice in a range of situations, and by far
the most versatile oil-based product to stock.
Best value oil
A survey of Australian cotton consultants who between
them manage more than 360,000 hectares, or about 60 per
cent of the total 2011–12 planting, has provided resounding
endorsement of the role of Canopy.
Canopy was compared with four other oils registered for
pest control and defoliation in cotton in an end of season survey
conducted through Crop Consultants Australia (CCA).
Canopy was the top ranked product in five of the seven
categories surveyed, namely:
■■
Best value for money;
■■
Most useful during the growing season;
■■
High quality product;
■■
Most trusted brand; and,
■■
Easily accessible information.
Caltex Precision Spray Oils National Sales Manager, Michael
Knight, said the survey results were very pleasing and indicated
the widespread acceptance and uptake of Canopy by growers in
a range of situations from early to late pest control, defoliation
and as a spray adjuvant.
In addition, Caltex D-C-Tron Cotton was the most strongly
identified with defoliation, indicating the strong market fit of this
product among growers.
Both D-C-Tron Cotton and Canopy achieved similarly high
scores for having the most credible label claims.
More information on Canopy is available from Caltex Precision Spray Oils
website www.precisionsprayoils.com.au or from your Caltex representative.
60 — The Australian Cottongrower October–November 2012