Customised Pot Trials

Customised pot trials can be conducted after consultation with Peter Boutsalis. The main customers of these tests are chemical companies or agronomy companies.

Pot testing enables herbicides to be tested on multiple crop and weed species simultaneously under identical conditions. The information from pot trials can be used to streamline future field trials. Testing can be done prior to the field season so information is available for the next field trial season.

Examples of tests that have been conducted so far include:

• Bioequivalence of new compounds to competitor herbicides
• Safety of herbicides on different crop growth stages
• Spectrum of crop species selectivity
• Effect of sowing depth on crop safety
• Crop variety herbicide sensitivity
• Effect of crop safeners
• Influence of pH, organic matter etc. on herbicide efficacy
• Identify ideal timings- pre-, early-, mid-, late-post emergence of new compounds
• Preparation of plants for customer demonstrations or time-lapse photography
• Influence of burnt or intact stubble on pre-emergence herbicide efficacy
• Weed species range of new compounds
• Effectiveness of new compounds on controlling herbicide resistant biotypes
• Efficacy of herbicides on weed growth stages
• Efficacy/ synergism of herbicide mixtures on weed control
• Impact of herbicide rates on increasing weed spectrum and herbicide resistant biotypes.
• Efficacy of herbicides on crop-topping
• Testing of different herbicide formulations
• Determining zone of herbicide uptake eg. roots vs shoots
• Testing of different adjuvants and concentration
• Rainfastness of herbicide formulations
• Impact of different soil types on herbicide efficacy
• Comparing movement of herbicides (leaching) vs soil type

For further information, please contact Peter Boutsalis.