Herbicide Sickle: instructions for use, mechanism of action and consumption rates

Systemic herbicides, penetrating into the weeds, quickly stop the vegetation process and lead the plants to death. They are used for chemical weeding of fields. Sickle is a post-emergence herbicide designed to clean soybean and pea crops from various types of weeds. Consider the features and rules for using a popular drug.

Composition and dosage form of Serp

The basis of the drug is a herbicide of the imidazolinone class, produced since 1984. The active ingredient - imazetapir - is contained in a concentration of 100 grams per liter. The drug is a water-soluble concentrate. Packed in canisters of 5 and 10 liters.

Mechanism of drug action

Imazetapir is absorbed by the leaves and root part of sensitive plants, passes through the conducting system to the growth points of weeds. The active substance inhibits protein biosynthesis and disrupts the processes of recreating nucleic acids.

As a result, all parts of the meristem are suppressed, weed growth stops within a few hours.

Photosynthesis is not disturbed, so weeds are still green, but do not grow and gradually die.

Reference: The sickle is classified as a highly selective preparation - it is harmless to protected crops, adsorbed only by weeds. At significant concentrations and getting into the soil, germination from seeds does not occur.

Pros and Cons of Weed Control

Specialists highlight the following benefits of using Serp herbicide:

• acts on weeds at different stages of growth - seedlings, vegetative plants;
• long period of protective action;
• allows spraying in different ways, applied to the soil and after shoots, on growing weeds;
• action applies to many types of weeds;
• absorbs quickly, allowing herbicide application during rainy seasons.

Among the shortcomings of the Serp, the following are noted:

• cultivation of the sown area is allowed once every 3 years;
• restrictions on crop rotation - from 4 months - for winter wheat, up to 26 months - for vegetable crops, rapeseed.

After 2 years, sowing on cultivated fields of any crops is allowed without restrictions.

For which crops it is suitable and consumption rates for them

The drug is used against weeds on legumes. Cereal and dicotyledonous weeds are sensitive to Serp. Application regulations:

Crop	Sickle in liters per hectare
Soya	0.5-0.8
Peas, chickpeas	0.5-0.75

From 200 to 300 liters of the finished mixture is used to process a hectare of crops.

How to prepare the working mixture

Spraying solution is prepared immediately before processing, on special concreted areas. The container is filled by a third with water, with constant stirring, the herbicide is poured in, after shaking the drug in the container.

Add water. The hydraulic mixer works constantly and during spraying, so that the drug does not settle, the mixture remains homogeneous.

Processing technology

The instruction prescribes to be guided by the following rules when processing crops with the Sickle:

1. Acceptable processing times - embedding into the soil before sowing (depth - up to 6 centimeters), immediately after sowing, before germination, at the initial stages of weed growth.
2. Temperature norms - 10-25 ° (ideally - above 15 °).
3. No adverse conditions for protected crops - drought, pest damage, cold snap.
4. Best time to process: legumes - 2-3 leaves, weeds - up to 4 leaves. If the soil is moist during these periods, the temperature is favorable, the amount of herbicide can be reduced by 25-50%.

The drug is applied only 1 time. The action of the herbicide is enhanced by constant moderate moisture in the soil. In case of heavy precipitation, the drug is washed into the lower layers of the earth, without having the necessary effect.

Safety

Safety rules include:

• preparation of the solution and spraying in special suits;
• working mixture is bred on prepared sites;
• sprayed by ground method;
• not used near bodies of water.

Also, the herbicide is not intended for use in private households, in summer cottages.

Drug toxicity

The herbicide belongs to the 3rd class of hazardous substances, that is, it is moderately hazardous. Do not use the green part for livestock feed earlier than 45 days after sickle application.

The next year it is recommended to plant cereals or corn on herbicide-treated fields, any crops after 2 years. You can reuse the Sickle on the field after 3 years.

Compatible with other pesticides

Sickle is not used with graminicide-based drugs. During the season, herbicide treatments containing sulfonylurea and other imidazolinones are not recommended.

If the weeds are coarsened, overgrown, the action of the Serp should be enhanced with adjuvants or mineral oil.

Terms and conditions of storage

Storage facilities for chemicals are used to store the herbicide. Shelf life - 2 years in undamaged packaging, storage temperature -5 ° to +30 °.

Similar products

Analogues containing imazetapir are the following drugs:

• Viaduct;
• Vidblock Plus - two-component herbicide;
• Golf;
• ForSoybeans;
• Pivot;
• Tactical.

These herbicides are used to protect legumes, they are economical, safe for animals and bees.

Proper use of herbicides does not harm soils and crops, and allows you to get an excellent harvest. The sickle is alternated with preparations containing other active substances in order to avoid manifestations of resistance in legumes, to create reliable protection against ubiquitous weeds.

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