Prairie farmers gearing up for busy spring seeding should ensure their crop protection products don’t have costly and unintended consequences.
That was a key message delivered last week by partners behind the Keep It Clean initiative, a national program aimed at making growers aware of crop protection products that could cause trade disruptions when Canadian grain is shipped abroad.
A joint initiative involving the Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada, Pulse Canada and the Prairie Oat Growers Association, it is intended to ensure the flow of Canada’s agricultural exports is not negatively impacted.
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The program provides growers, agronomists and crop advisers with resources to ensure Canada’s crops are “market ready.”
One of the program’s most valued resources is an annual product advisory that warns growers about crop protection products that could cause trade disruptions.
The 2023 product advisory, released April 26, included nine crop protection products ranging from fungicides and plant growth regulators used in cereal crops, to crop desiccants and herbicides used for in-crop and pre-harvest weed control.
A full list of the products in the 2023 advisory can be viewed online at keepitclean.ca/tools-resources/product-advisory/.
For cereals, fungicide products whose active ingredients are fluopyram (Prosaro Pro) or tetraconazole (Zolera FX) could disrupt trade if used on the wrong crops.
Fluopyram products, although registered for use in Canada, should not be used on malt barley and should be used with caution on food and feed barley, said Krista Zuzak, director of crop protection and production at Cereals Canada.
Grain buyers will not buy malt barley that has been treated with fluopyram and some grain buyers may not buy food or feed barley that’s been treated with fluopyram.
“This is an existing advisory from last year…” said Zuzak.
For malt barley, avoid fluopyram completely. For feed and food barley, use only after you’ve consulted with buyers.
“We might have some MRL (maximum residue limit) related market risk for barley that’s been treated with fluopyram (in) some markets so as a result, we always advise you to consult with your grain buyer before using this product,” Zuzak said.
“On feed and food barley, it’s an amber (advisory) so make sure that you have that discussion (with grain buyers).”
In wheat crops, no trade-related concerns are associated with fluopyram, as long as the product is used according to label directions.
Tetracozanole fungicides such as Zolera FX are also not recommended for use in feed, food or malting barley, although they are rated green (OK for use) in wheat crops.
All barley growers are advised to consult with grain buyers before using plant growth regulators that contain chlormequat (Manipulator).
Chlormequat, although approved for use in Canada, may not be accepted by all barley buyers or in all export markets.
Zuzak advised growers to consult with buyers before using the product in barley.
There are no trade concerns stemming from chlormequat use on wheat.
Saflufenacil herbicides, such as Heat, are also not recommended in malting barley. Grain buyers will not accept malt barley that’s been treated with saflufenacil.
In pulse crops, the Keep It Clean advisory lists four crop protection products that should either be used with caution (rated amber) or avoided entirely (rated red).
Sethoxydim products such as Poast Ultra are rated green (no trade concerns) when applied according to label directions in field peas, dry beans or fababeans.
However, lentil and chickpea growers should consult with buyers before using sethoxydim products, particularly if the buyers service Europe.
“This (precaution) is due to some uncertainty in the European Union,” said Greg Bartley, director of crop protection and crop quality with Pulse Canada.
“We’re anticipating an MRL change and a residue definition change that will drop the (European) MRL (for sethoxydim) to a much lower level.”
“We don’t know actually when this will happen. We just know that when it does happen, it’s likely going to happen pretty quick and it’s going to create a challenge.”
Pulse Canada’s advice? Since lentils and chickpeas treated with sethoxydim have some risk exposure in the EU, growers should speak with their buyers before using the product.
Growers should also consult with buyers before using chlorothalonil fungicides such as Bravo ZN in chickpea crops, Bartley said.
Chlorothalonil products have been under heightened scrutiny for a few years.
In the European Union, the MRL for chlorothalonil on imported chickpeas has dropped to the default level of 0.01 parts per million. Authorities in the United Kingdom are also scrutinizing the product more closely.
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that detectable levels of sethoxydim in harvested grain are lower than what was originally expected, Bartley said.
Compared to a few years ago, “we have a better understanding of the risk level for this product and we’re seeing that it’s not as high as we initially anticipated,” Bartley said.
Nonetheless, if you’re working with buyers (that sell into the EU) make sure that it’s OK to use chlorothalonil because they may have some concerns.”
For more information on product advisories pertaining to glufosinate and glyphosate products, as well as tips for minimizing market risk, growers can visit the Keep It Clean website at keepitclean.ca.
