Grub control in crops

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32588, 23 April 1971, Page 14

Grub control in crops

It was noted on these pages last week that as the drought had this year tended to mask the effects of the presence of grass grub in pastures farmers might

conceivably run into a problem when they sowed a cereal crop in such an area where grubs were present.. Mr J. S. McCully, South Island technical officer for Ivon Watkins-Dow, Ltd, said this week that only by careful digging was it possible to assess what the grub situation was likely to be on such an area and they had had a fairly extensive look at the position in MidCanterbury, in particular, and had found the level of infestations to be as great as in previous years. Where a farmer was intending to plough a paddock because of the effects of the drought with the object of sowing a crop and where grass grub infestation was not obvious, Mr McCully said he would be

well advised to make a detailed examination to determine the grub situation, and if grubs were present cultivation would not remove them so that he would have to look to some alternative method of control.

Damage, he said, could occur until July. The most cost-efficient method of control was to treat with diazinon (Gesapon 10G) granules or prills at 101 b of 10 per cent granules to the acre applied down the spout of the drill at sowing time. This treatment had been given field assessment registration by the Agricultural Chemicals Board and the results to date of work with this treatment indicated that a very high level of control was obtained. The insecticide could be mixed with the fertiliser or seed provided that it was applied on the same day as it was mixed. This treatment was independent of weather conditions and particularly reliable. Mr McCully said that the cost would be $2.44 per acre.