Weekly in-season Updates
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INFORMATION |
May 22, 2006 Talkin’ Cotton "Be Aware of Potential for Herbicide Drift" As cropping systems change, producers need to be aware of the potential for drift of pasture and summer fallow herbicides to susceptible crops. All broadleaf plants are susceptible to phenoxy herbicides, but cotton is one of the most sensitive plants to drift rates of these chemicals. These phenoxy or hormone type herbicides include 2,4-D, dicamba, picloram, triclopyr and clopyralid as active ingredients. There are many trade names that contain these active ingredients so it is a good idea to evaluate the active ingredients as you make the decision on materials for purchase. On herbicide labels, usually just below the trade name, there will be a section stating the active ingredients that the herbicide contains, and the percentage of each. Look for 2,4-D, dicamba, picloram, triclopyr or clopyralid as the active ingredients, and if any of these are present, be very careful when applying the chemical if cotton or other susceptible crops are in the vicinity. In some counties in Oklahoma, application of a herbicide with any of the above active ingredients requires a form to be sent to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture stating your intent to apply the herbicide or mixture, and the location of the application. Within seven (7) working days following the application a report is required to be filed to ODA with the requested application information. Any wind, even a light breeze can move small droplets of chemical many hundreds of feet, and under windy conditions, movement can up to several miles. If you are spraying near a cotton field, try to time the spray when the wind is blowing away from the cotton area. Use application techniques such as lower pressure and drift reduction nozzles to ensure that the material is landing on the target and not being moved by the wind. Some of the materials are formulated as esters instead of amines. Ester formulations will not only drift, but vapor from the chemical can move from the application site for several days following application. During the growing season of the sensitive crop, only amine formulations should be used. Another form of off-site movement of herbicides is contamination of spraying equipment by phenoxy herbicides. The herbicide becomes bound to the plastic in solution tanks and the rubbers hoses of the boom. It is almost impossible to completely clean these herbicides from a sprayer. Stainless steel tanks can be cleaned, but all rubber components of the boom should be changed to avoid contamination of the spray. There are many instances of 2,4-D being extracted from boom hoses and contaminating hundreds of acres of cotton. This injury is most evident when the sprayer starts spraying and lasts until the boom is filled with fresh spraying solution. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry maintains a website for growers to post locations of sensitive crops and for applicators to evaluate an area prior to application. The ODAFF Pesticide Sensitive Location Viewer is located at: http://www.oda.state.ok.us/pics-plsv.htm. Specific areas can be located on a state map, and a zoom feature can locate the area for application. If an isolated field of cotton or grape vineyard is not on the map, it can be easily added to the map. ODAFF now has identified the hormone herbicide restricted areas on the Pesticide Sensitive Location Viewer. All applicators should take precautions to avoid harming sensitive crops when they apply herbicides. Legally, the applicator is always responsible for off-site movement of herbicides. In addition to economic damage to the crop, damaged relations with neighbors often result from misapplication. This can be avoided by taking a few precautions, and strained relationships, economic damage, legal fees and possible litigation can be avoided." Talkin' Cotton is a feature of NTOK Cotton, a cotton industry partnership which encourages increased cotton production on the Rolling Plains of North Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. For more information on the current cotton scene, check out our website, ntokcotton.org. For comments or questions about Talkin' Cotton, contact us at lventerprise@westok.net.
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