New herbicide for corn reaches 700 thousand hectares treated in the first harvest

Launched in Brazil last June, the Terbuthylazine molecule, the base technology for the Click brand herbicide for corn, from Sipcam Nichino, confirmed experts' projections. In the 2020-21 summer corn harvest and the 2021 off-season, studies by the Rio Verde Technological Research and Development Foundation, in Mato Grosso, and the Supra Pesquisa/Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) team, showed that Click's action surpasses of standard treatments adopted in the country, against invasive plants that are difficult to control.

The Rio Verde Foundation evaluated the performance of Click in the post-emergence of weeds such as crow's foot grass (Eleusine indica), trapoeraba (Commelina benghalensis), button broom (Spermacoce verticillata), Santa Luzia herb (Euphorbia hirta) and tiguera soybean (Glycine max), among others. According to the research, Click treatments, compared to the producer's standard treatments, were analyzed after 7,14, 21, 28, 35 and XNUMX days of applications (DAA), and also at pre-harvest of the crop.

According to Sipcam Nichino, with Terbuthylazine, the control rate of these invaders remained between 94,7% and 100% effectiveness. The company also celebrates significant productivity and production indicators, linked to the herbicide, recorded in the research, carried out in the Lucas do Rio Verde region.

“The average productivity of the fields reached 134,6 bags per hectare, 13% above standard treatments, which represents an average gain of 1,2 bags per hectare, highly relevant data in the general evaluation, in addition to delivering a cleaner crop ”, summarizes José de Freitas, agronomist in the market development area at Sipcam Nichino Brasil.

Trapoeraba in Paraná

In its first commercial summer corn harvest, the new Click was also the target of studies in the South region, led by researchers from Supra Pesquisas/Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). The most comprehensive experiments, according to José de Freitas, took place in the Paraná cities of Maripá, Marechal Cândido Rondon and Palotina. Freitas emphasizes that one of the strategic points of these studies focused on controlling the trapoeraba weed (Commelina benghalensis), a problem weed in Paraná and several regions of Brazil.

According to Freitas, in this case the researchers observed the treatment with Terbuthylazine compared to the standard used in those productive regions, considering intervals of 7,14, 21, 28, 35, 75 and XNUMX days after product applications (DAA), in addition to pre-harvest of culture. In the corn areas analyzed in Paraná, continues Freitas, there were also infestations of tiguera soybean, sour grass, crow's foot grass and black pickerel.

Specifically in relation to trapoeraba, according to Freitas, the control rate transferred by Click applications was close to 99%. Terbuthylazine also delivered the highest productivity, around 7 thousand kilos per hectare (almost 117 bags/ha), at a dose of 2 liters per hectare. “The main product of the so-called standard treatment in the region equaled this brand, however applied in high doses, doubled and tripled”, says Freitas.

700 thousand hectares upon arrival

In relation to other weeds in the corn fields researched in the state of Paraná, Freitas adds that the Supra Pesquisa/UFPR records reinforce that Click achieved control effectiveness rates of around 80% to 100%. Average productivity remained in the range between 6 thousand kg per hectare (100 bags/ha) and 8 thousand kg per hectare (133 bags/ha). “On average across the fields, Terbuthylazine showed efficacy equivalent to or greater than that of standard treatment, with Click being applied in lower doses.”

For Sipcam Nichino, the results provided by the new molecule, in several works on summer and off-season corn, justify the success of Click's commercialization immediately after its launch.

The product, reveals the company, has already reached the mark of 700 thousand hectares treated with corn. “We remain confident that the control pattern of corn invasives will soon be scaled between ‘before and after Click’. The herbicide solves serious problems for producers in the face of weed infestations that are difficult to control, in pre- and post-emergence”, with a long residual period, delivering a cleaner crop, concludes José de Freitas.