Evaluating the efficiency of glufosinate and clethodim in varying water qualities in combination with water conditioners in canola

Term: 1 Year, beginning 2024
Status: Ongoing
Researcher(s): Koralie Mack, WARC
SaskCanola Investment: $12,000
Total Project Cost: $12,000
Funding Partners: N/A

Objective

To evaluate the efficiency of glufosinate and clethodim chemistries in varying water qualities coupled with the use of water conditioners.  

This trial will look at the efficiency and ensure proper water quality when spraying to ensure all applications are optimized.  

It will demonstrate the efficiency of group 1 and 10 chemistries in hard, soft, and RO water and show the importance of testing water sources to increase use efficiency.  

This project will also compare the activity of group 1 and 10 chemicals in hard, soft, and RO water with the use of a water conditioner, and when one would be necessary. 

This trial will evaluate the ROI of a water conditioner compared to a higher rate of the chemistry applied in varying water conditions. 

Project Description

Saskatchewan producers are in a constant struggle to find water sources that are suitable for pesticide applications, and therefore sometimes use water of inadequate qualities. Producers commonly use the water that is available to them for spraying, surface waters like sloughs or dugouts or well water from underground aquifers are the more common sources of spray water. Using water that is too hard can lead to inefficient and wasteful applications.

Weak acid herbicides are affected the most in hard water conditions. Five main cation minerals can make your water hard and are especially antagonistic to pesticide applications, Saskatchewan waters contain three of them, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. It is suggested that water should be treated if the harness is over 250 to 350 ppm calcium carbonate (Storrie, 2019). Electrical conductivity (EC) is also used as a good baseline for comparing to ppm for water hardness and since there is a large variance in EC for each of the main water sources producers use it is extremely important to test the water used for spraying to understand how it will affect the efficacy of the pesticide application. There is a 200-2000 EC variance recorded in slough and dugout water and a 700-4000 EC difference for common aquifer types in Saskatchewan, showing that water quality is different between each producer and area needs to be accounted for in spray applications (Government of Saskatchewan, 2023). By demonstrating to producers, the difference in chemical efficacy when using different water types, chemical rates, and water conditioners, they will be able to apply this understanding to their operations to reduce product waste and increase pesticide activity. In July 2023, Crop Diagnostic School was held in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, with AAFC, IHARF and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. One of the demonstrations showcased the antagonism of different water qualities mixed with glyphosate in jars. Due to the high interest in this station, SaskCanola expressed interest in pursuing a small plot demonstration similar to the jar test.