Why NZ isn’t first in line for Bayer’s new herbicide

New Zealand’s absence from the launch list for Bayer’s new herbicide reflects the size of the market rather than regulatory hurdles, says rural commentator Fenton Hazelwood.

He says the new active ingredient, icafolin-methyl, is probably the biggest discovery in its space in about 30 years.

He expects it to act as a “bodyguard to glyphosate”, tank-mixed with it to give two modes of action against resistant weeds.

Its focus is broadacre crops such as soy, wheat and barley.

“On the global scene, we are a minnow,” Hazelwood says. “There’s nothing untoward, in my opinion, that New Zealand is not a primary country.”

He expects New Zealand to come in a second or third tier of registrations, and hopes regulatory changes will let overseas data support an application here.

Hazelwood says resistance management needs more attention. Of just over 1 million hectares sprayed with glyphosate in New Zealand each year, up to 400,000–500,000ha gets no second mode of action.

“That’s a little bit of a worry.”

He says the best-known glyphosate resistance is in ryegrass in vineyards, which cover about 32,000ha.

In Northland, he says, 10 days of showers have lifted crops after a winter that needed more irrigation than usual, and growers are now getting maize established while there is moisture.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.