He was advised to try the herbicide Paradigm, after a large early infestation of the problem weed fumitory in an April-sown

wheat crop.
 

“About a week after application several inches of snow fell and it was extremely cold and I believe the previous chemical I have

used would have been struggling to do the job.
 

“It was a different mode of action, and it took a while to kill the weeds which turned skeletal and then suddenly were gone.
 

“Having a wide application window from three leaf stage to full flag leaf emergence (growth stage 13 to 39) gives us great flexibility and means it can be applied at the optimum time for weed control. It was also used late, at growth stage 39, on extremely large fumitory, when there were virtually no other chemical options available.”
 

The short seven-day withholding period also opens options for silage and more flexibility with grazing.
 

Cereals are a good opportunity to clean up weeds before following with a specialist seed crop, says Hydes.
 

He farms 145 ha as well as land leased from a family trust, with the property entirely cropped.
 

About 30 to 50 per cent of the farm is normally planted in cereals, with the remainder in small seed production, mainly ryegrass,

white clover, cocksfoot and brassica for seed.
 

Previously a dryland farmer, Hydes installed his first irrigator last year and is in the process of installing another, as water becomes available from an extension of Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation – a piped scheme that takes water from the Rakaia River.
 

Paradigm’s compatibility with other agrichemicals means it can be mixed in the tank with a range of other herbicides as well

as fungicides, insecticides and plant growth regulators, reducing the number of crop passes and saving time and money.
 

When planting wheat, Paradigm is the ideal follow-up to pre-emergence applications of Firebird herbicide as Paradigm controls the key weeds fumitory and cornbind, not controlled by Firebird, Hydes says. “The two complement each other very well.
 

“We have a limited tool box, so I am extremely supportive of new chemistry.”
 

Trialled in Canterbury, Paradigm contains the new active ingredient Arylex and is suitable for barley, wheat and triticale, with no loss of yield.