Canadian wheat growers who use Manipulator, a plant growth regulator, will be required to disclose the use of that product when delivering wheat to the elevator this fall.
In a release issued June 5, the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association said producers will have to declare the use of Manipulator because the product is not registered in the United States.
“As a result, Canadian grain buyers who export will require a signed declaration indicating use of chlormequat chloride (the active ingredient in Manipulator) in order to manage supply and ensure that only untreated production is shipped to the United States,” the MWBGA said.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“Approval hasn’t yet been completed in the U.S. In this transition time MRLs (maximum residue limits) for shipments to the United States are technically zero.”
Fred Greig, MWBGA chair, said the declaration is a legal document. Producers who make a false or incorrect declaration could face legal consequences.
Engage Agro registered Manipulator in Canada last year and it can be applied to wheat crops in 2015.
Like other plant growth regulators, it shortens and strengthens plant stems and makes crops less likely to fall over.
Trial data from Engage Agro indicates that Manipulator is most effective on CWRS spring wheat.
Four years of plot data on CWRS varieties in Western Canada show several advantages:
- Ten percent height reduction, 83 percent of the time.
- Fifteen percent height reduction, 53 percent of the time.
- Five percent yield increase, 85 percent of the time.
- Ten percent yield increase, 55 percent of the time.
