This spring eastern Canadian seed corn producers will have another tool to protect their crops against the yield-damaging effects of broadleaf weeds. PEAK®Plus, already trusted by corn producers for excellent broadleaf weed control, has received a minor use in seed corn.

“PEAKPlus has always offered corn producers an excellent post-emergent broadleaf control option in corn,” says Tara McCaughey, technical crop manager for Syngenta Crop Protection Canada, Inc. “Now, thanks to joint work between Syngenta Crop Protection and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, seed corn producers can also benefit from the same weed control PEAKPlus has offered for years.”

Under this new minor use, PEAKPlus can be applied once per growing season to seed corn between the 2- to 7-leaf stages. The convenient all-in-one jug format of PEAKPlus offers ease of handling and eliminates any rate questions. All producers have to do is add a non-ionic surfactant and water. One pre-pack contains enough to treat 10 acres – four water-soluble bags of PEAK and 1.25 litres of dicamba.

“This new minor use is really positive for seed corn producers because it provides them with another product for in-season weed control,” says Al Hamill, weed scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre in Harrow, Ontario. “All our trials were conducted from a crop safety standpoint because, from experience with PEAKPlus in field corn, we already know it will provide effective weed control. Out of all the inbreds, or lines, we tested over three years there was no significant injury that resulted in a yield difference between PEAKPlus and the check herbicide in the trial.”

PEAKPlus provides control of an extensive weed list including cocklebur, common ragweed, lady’s-thumb, lamb’s-quarters, redroot pigweed, velvetleaf and wild mustard. Its application window also provides producers with excellent flexibility, helping to manage their workload, especially in the event of weather delays.

For producers, PEAKPlus is also a great follow-up program to Dual®II Magnum® or Primextra®II Magnum, helping to ensure early control of grasses and broadleaf weeds.

“This expansion of the PEAKPlus label further enhances the value of Syngenta’s product portfolio by maximizing the range of products we can offer producers,” says McCaughey. “Syngenta Crop Protection supports researchers and the minor use system to help ensure growers have access to the crop protection products they need to efficiently manage weeds in their operation. This new use is a great example of how industry can help do just that.”

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2005 were approximately $8.1 billion.  Syngenta employs more than 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).

®PEAK, DUAL, MAGNUM, PRIMEXTRA and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta group company.