Clearfield^® Plus: Your alternative choice for weed control and crop rotation

By Corné van der Westhuizen, agronomist, North West, Pannar Seed (Pty) Ltd

Clearfield^® Plus technology offers producers an alternative solution to control weeds while benefiting from economic, time and yield gains. The Clearfield^® Production System combines high-yielding sunflower hybrids with broad-spectrum herbicides with a different mode of action (MOA) that delivers efficient weed control.

Clearfield^® Plus sunflowers are classified as non-transgenic. The inherent herbicide resistance is a natural mutation. The original Clearfield^® trait in sunflowers is based on a natural acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) mutation discovered in 1996 in a wild sunflower growing in a soya bean field in the United States.

The Clearfield^® Plus Production System for sunflower delivers important agronomic benefits, which include:

• Crop rotation.
• Superior breeding efficiency.
• Greater herbicide tolerance.
• Improved weed control.
• Potential for higher grain yield.

Invest in leading genetics
The Pannar^® brand sunflower package with the Clearfield^® Plus trait provides stable performance with good risk management. The Euro-Lightning^® Plus herbicide provides effective post-emergence control of a variety of broadleaf weeds and grasses and delivers consistent post-emergence efficacy against broadleaf weeds, due to better retention and adhesion of active matters (Figure 1).

Pannar brand hybrids with the Clearfield^® Plus trait are only registered for the use of Euro-Lightning^® Plus herbicide (Reg. No. L10316). Pannar does not support the use of any other post-emergent herbicide on our Pannar brand hybrids with the Clearfield^® Plus trait that have not been tested or proven in official qualification trials.

The Clearfield^® Plus programme

• For successful control, apply at the two- to six-leaf stage of weeds. The timing of Euro-Lightning^® Plus should be completed by 32 days after planting.
• Prior to the use of Euro-Lightning^® Plus, spray tanks, booms and nozzles must be thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated of all previous spray residues.
• Poor water quality: Only use a flowable (50%) high-quality ammonium sulphate at a 2% dilution to ameliorate the water before adding Euro-Lightning^® Plus. Do not use any additional wetters, spreaders or other adjuvants. Do not mix with organophosphate or carbamate insecticides.
• Soil application: 2 ℓ Euro-Lightning^® Plus at 150 to 250 ℓ of water per hectare.

Always follow grain marketing, stewardship practices and herbicide label directions. Clearfield^® Plus sunflower hybrids are tolerant to Euro-Lightning^® Plus herbicide; this is indicated by the letters ‘CLP’ in the seed product code. Other crops, including conventional sunflower hybrids that do not contain the Clearfield^® Plus trait or have confirmed imazapyr tolerance, will be severely damaged if unregistered imazapyr-based herbicides are applied.

The unique Clearfield symbol, Clearfield^® Plus and Euro-Lightning^® Plus are registered trademarks of BASF.

For more information, contact Corné van der Westhuizen at 082 570 8240 or corne.vanderwesthuizen@pannar.co.za.