Cutter is applied with atrazine as the normal pre-emergence herbicide mixture, the company says. Cutter controls weeds as well as providing the extra benefit of cutworm control over the critical period of crop emergence.

“The beauty of Cutter is that its contact insecticide action complements the insect control from insecticide treated seed,” Murray

Hern from Orion AgriScience explains.

Because Cutter is sprayed over the soil surface it knocks down the cutworm that are present just before the maize emerges.

“This is important because insecticide seed treatments work predominantly through systemic activity where the insecticide is taken up inside the maize seedling.

“This means the insect has to start feeding on the maize plant to ingest the insecticide.”

By knocking down the cutworm population just prior to emergence Cutter works in combination with the seed treatment insecticide to prevent damage to the maize seedlings over the critical emergence period.

The priority message for farmers with the new product is that by applying the preemergence mixture of Cutter at three litres

per ha plus the same rate of Atraflow it is now possible to control weeds and proactively manage cutworm problems at the same time.

“Furthermore your customers save time and money because Cutter costs about the same as the leading acetochlor herbicide brands and reduces the need for additional insecticide applications,” Hern says.

For more detail contact your local Orion AgriScience representative or call 0800 674 6627.