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Arylex™ Active Protects Potential in Winter Oilseed Rape

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Winter oilseed rape (winter canola) has become an increasingly popular crop, particularly in European markets, where value has grown steadily in recent years thanks to demand for rapeseed oil in food and biofuels. In 2022, more than six million hectares of this crop were planted in the top-producing countries in Europe.1 However, for farmers growing winter oilseed rape, weed control timing can make a big difference in a season’s profitability.

Winter oilseed rape provides some distinct advantages over spring varieties. Provided it survives overwintering, a winter crop can yield 20–30% more.2 With autumn planting, winter oilseed rape matures earlier in the year, which is helpful to avoid excessive summer heat or early frost.3 Winter oilseed rape is beneficial in crop rotation as well — helping to improve success for subsequent crops like winter wheat — and it’s an effective ground cover in fall, winter and spring to reduce soil erosion.2-4

Harsh winter weather can lead to failure of winter oilseed rape.3,5 Traditionally, farmers had to make weed management decisions before winter oilseed rape emerged, resulting in the risk of investing in a crop that might not be harvestable. New options in weed control give farmers more flexibility in application, allowing them to wait until after emergence to apply herbicides, a huge benefit in protecting yields and farm profitability.

LaDiva® herbicide from Corteva Agriscience is one of the newest options to give farmers more weed control flexibility for winter oilseed rape. It has three active ingredients: picloram, aminopyralid and Arylex™ active. These three Group 4 active ingredients work on different binding sites in weeds, helping to reduce risks of resistance. With this combination, LaDiva works on more than 30 broadleaf weed species, but at a use rate that is 5 to 20 times lower than similar herbicides. Across all three active ingredients the combined use rate is just 22.5 grams per hectare. Other similar herbicides for use in winter oilseed rape have use rates ranging from 1,000–1,620 grams per hectare. Much of the flexibility with LaDiva is made possible by Arylex, the newest Group 4 herbicide from Corteva that protects a variety of crops, including cereals, sunflowers, citrus and olives as well as pastures.

Post-emergence advantages

LaDiva® herbicide with Arylex™ active is applied post emergence, after the two-leaf stage. The ability to apply post emergence is valuable for several reasons. First, it allows farmers to evaluate the health of their crop before deploying weed control. If the crop doesn’t appear to be emerging with adequate vigor, the farmer may choose not to treat for weeds, saving valuable time and resources. Post-emergence application also lets farmers be more targeted in their herbicide application. Rather than spraying an entire field preemergence to prevent weed infestation, farmers can evaluate weed pressures as the crop emerges. LaDiva can be applied selectively in areas where it’s most needed. This “right time, right place, right amount” approach is a crucial part of integrated pest management (IPM) and allows farmers to minimize environmental impact. LaDiva is also a compatible tank-mix partner with other common crop protection products including some insecticides, fertilizers and herbicides containing metazachlor.* This lets farmers address more issues with a single pass, reducing trips through the field.

LaDiva can be used in a variety of conditions. It works in a wide temperature range from 5–25ºC (41–77ºF), where other herbicides are not effective, and it can be applied in humid or dry conditions. For even more flexibility, farmers can apply it after emergence BBCH 10–11 or later, between BBCH 12–19. LaDiva also works well in a program approach with other herbicides to control additional weed species and reduce the risk of resistance development.

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WideApplicationGraphic-2

LaDiva is applied on well-emerged oilseed rape when 90% of the crop has reached the two‑leaf stage.

Fast acting and compatible with crop rotations

LaDiva® herbicide with Arylex™ active acts quickly against many of the most troublesome weeds in oilseed rape such as Matricaria, Geranium and Lamium species. Within a day of application, weeds are visibly withered. The picloram and aminopyralid in LaDiva also provide soil residual activity that helps control autumn weed germination. However, this residual activity doesn’t hinder crop rotation. Farmers still have the flexibility to grow certain winter or spring crops* after oilseed rape treated with LaDiva.

See how LaDiva controls difficult weeds in winter oilseed rape as demonstrated in these field test results.

Formulated with rapeseed oil

LaDiva® herbicide with Arylex™ active is delivered in a NeoEC™ formulation, utilizing a product from the very crop it’s designed to protect. The formulation uses rapeseed oil as a solvent instead of petroleum distillates. This gives LaDiva a more favorable environmental profile and reduces product odor, so it’s more pleasant for farmers to handle and improves public perception. LaDiva is one of several Corteva products formulated using plant-based components.

Farmers choose to plant winter oilseed rape for many reasons — for its market value, to help preserve soils or to improve success for subsequent crops. Flexible weed control solutions offer farmers diverse choices in how they manage their crop, too. With LaDiva, farmers can apply herbicide post emergence, when they have confidence their crop will succeed. They can selectively treat fields with a very low use rate, applying herbicide when and where it’s needed most and use LaDiva in a program approach to reduce trips through the field and prevent resistance development. By adding flexibility and freedom to crop management, solutions like LaDiva help farmers grow a crop that meets their objectives for a sustainable, profitable harvest.

Learn more about Arylex active

* Always read and follow label directions and use products in accordance with local regulatory guidelines.

1 Seed World Europe, “High Prices Lead to Increase in Oilseed Rape Acreage across Europe,” Seed World Europe, March 22, 2022, https://european-seed.com/2022/03/high-prices-lead-to-increase-in-oilseed-rape-acreage-across-europe/.

2 “Spring & Winter Canola - Crop Production - U.S. Canola Association - Non-Profit to Increase U.S. Canola Production.” U.S. Canola Association. Accessed January 4, 2024. https://www.uscanola.com/crop-production/spring-and-winter-canola/.

3 Carolyn King, “Another Look at Winter Canola,” Top Crop Manager, July 26, 2016, https://www.topcropmanager.com/another-look-at-winter-canola-18909/.

4 Carolyn King, “A Winter Canola Look-See,” Top Crop Manager, May 2, 2023, https://www.topcropmanager.com/a-winter-canola-look-see/.

5 Johannes Wilhelmus Pullens et al., “Risk Factors for European Winter Oilseed Rape Production under Climate Change,” Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 272–273 (July 15, 2019): 30–39, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.03.023.

LaDiva® herbicide is not registered for sale or use in all states or countries. Contact your local regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your area. Always read and follow label directions.