Late treatment of cleavers could cost £300 per hectare

You can reduce your yield losses by spraying cleavers before the end of April according to James Taylor-Alford, Bayer CropScience’s Product Agronomy Manager. 

He says: “Cleaver populations start to significantly affect yield once they begin rapid growth in the spring. At this stage they compete for vital nutrients with cereals, at a time that is crucial for building yield. Treating cleavers before the end of April can reduce competition and result in increased yield and profitability."

According to research, delaying treatment by three weeks could result in a yield-loss of two tonnes per hectare, worth between £270 and £300 in current futures markets.                                    

“You should plan to treat all fields with cleavers before the end of April,” says James, “For cleavers up to 15 centimetres across, apply Eagle at 30g/ha. Although you can reduce the rate to 20g/ha if you applied an effective DFF treatment in the autumn. For rapidly growing or larger cleavers increase the dose to 40 g/ha.”

If tank-mixing with Atlantis WG, the rate of Eagle can be reduced to 15 to 20 g/ha for cleavers of less than 15 cm across.