CASPER® is a new, flexible, broad-spectrum herbicide from Syngenta, now available to Irish farmers for controlling a wide range of annual and perennial broad-leaved weeds in newly sown and established grassland.

In a combination which is new to the grassland market, CASPER ® features two active ingredients – Prosulfuron (50g/litre) and Dicamba (500g/l). Dicamba is well established in grassland, Prosulfuron is new, and the combination delivers a balance of weed control and crop safety that is unrivalled.

Combining powerful weed control with flexible timing, CASPER ® eliminates weeds for higher-yielding and better-quality pastures.

CASPER’s ® weed spectrum includes a range of tough perennial weeds, such as broad-leaved dock, curled dock, spear thistle, buttercups and nettles.

Users of CASPER ® also benefit from its extended application window from April through to October. This allows farmers to optimise application timing, fitting into grazing and cutting schedules, and tackling weeds during their most vulnerable growth stages.

Syngenta key account and business manager Margaret Murphy comments: “CASPER ® is a great addition to our product portfolio. We believe this product offers livestock farmers a strong option to control key weeds which impact yield and quality of pastures.

"Very few herbicides will control a spectrum of weeds which includes docks, thistles, nettles and buttercup and we are delighted to now have this offering for Irish farmers to benefit from.”

CASPER a clover-safe herbicide, but clover, if required, can be stitched in after application - please visit www.syngenta.ie for details.

On newly sown grassland, CASPER ® targets annual broad-leaved weeds including black nightshade, chickweed, field bindweed, fat hen, fumitory, groundsel, scarlet pimpernel, shepherd’s purse, small nettles and thistles, along with moderate control of cleavers and poppy.

On established grassland CASPER® controls the big yield-robbing weeds such as docks, thistles, nettles, creeping buttercup among others.

Through the elimination of competing weeds, CASPER ® will increase grass production, enhance overall pasture nutritional value and improve palatability for livestock.

A water dispersible granule (WDG), CASPER ® is recommended at rates of 0.3kg/ha in new-sown leys and 0.36kg/ha in established pasture. The product comes in a 1kg pack with a useful measuring cup for treating smaller areas or dividing the pack between sprayer fills.

CASPER ® should be applied in good growing conditions when the vegetation is dry. The optimum temperature for applying CASPER® is between 10°C and 25°C. Following application, keep livestock out of treated areas and do not harvest for silage or hay for 21 days.

For more, visit https://www.syngenta.ie/product/crop-protection/herbicide/casper.