Abstract

Paraquat is often combined with the standard residual herbicide treatment applied in late winter if overwintered weeds are present. However, dinoseb-in-oil gives excellent although later control of most annual weeds at the rate needed for cane control and it should be possible to miss out the paraquat on the treated area and reduce weed control expenditure. Dinoseb-in-oil does not control Agropyron repens. Where alleys are normally rotary cultivated, it may be possible to reduce the frequency of cultivation or even eliminate it by using dinoseb-in-oil overall for both weed and sucker control during the spring. In uncultivated plantations the use of dinoseb-in-oil for sucker control is a useful alternative to the flail and the rotary cutter, especially in situations where stones cause considerable wear and tear on machinery. In the final year of a plantation, repeated overall application of dinoseb-in-oil for cane or sucker control gives sufficient control of most weed species to enable the normal residual herbicide treatment to be discarded. This reduces the hazards of soil residues affecting subsequent crops.