Groundnut farmers have been losing the battle with wild lucerne, because there’s been no effective herbicide on the market. The weed multiplies in the rows and smothers the plants, and as a result, groundnut plantings have declined drastically.
Now Dow AgroSciences has released Strongarm 840 WG (Reg No L8663 Act 36/1947), a selective herbicide for the control of eight broadleaf weeds and 11 annual grasses – including wild lucerne – in groundnut and soya bean lands. “This herbicide has already been in full use overseas for several years with outstanding results,” says Johan Bothma, Dow AgroSciences sales manager.
“For 17 years I could never find a herbicide capable of controlling wild lucerne,” says Boeta Grobler, of the Groundnut Selection project at Wesselsbron, the Free State, one of the farms where the herbicide was tested. “Now we can once again profitably harvest healthy and high quality groundnuts at maximum yield, and free of aflatoxins.” – Staff reporter
Contact Johan Bothma on 082 321 6551.
Read more in the 29 July 2011 issue.
