There has been some talk about Syngenta’s newly released Group G spike B-Power. You may be familiar with the name, or the active Butafenacil, as it was used in a mix in the product Logran B-Power. B-Power controls a number of grasses and broadleaves and is designed to be mixed with non-selective herbicides, such as glyphosate or paraquat. It comes into the market as an alternative for products such as Hammer or Nail. As such, it can be used in fallow, or before the establishment of cereals, canola, and pulses.

Syngenta B-Power Features:

– Highly active on key broadleaf weeds such as Mallow, Medic, Wild Radish, and volunteer pulses.
– It is a group G herbicide, with a concentration of 100g/L Butafencil as an emulsifiable concentrate formulation.
– Fast acting contact herbicide – quicker brownout than other group G chemistry.
– No plant back restrictions to canola and pulses at label rates when using knife-point seeding system: – Sow after 1 hour when using knifepoints
– Rainfast in 1 hour
– Some short residual activity on emerging broadleaf and grass weeds
– Improves efficacy of non-selective herbicides
– Highly compatible with a range of knockdown and pre-emergent herbicides
– 100ml/ha highly efficient
– Requires the addition of an oil or wetter, even when mixed with high loaded Glyphosate.

Our thoughts:

The group G market is relatively crowded, and key products such as Hammer, Nail, Sharpen, and Striker still work very efficiently. B-power has similar efficacy as Hammer, with some slight benefits on marshmallow and medic control. However, pricing will slightly more expensive per hectare compared to Hammer. In a nutshell, we don’t see B-Power as a necessity to have in your shed. If you are interested in B-Power and are happy to pay a small premium for this new product to see if it has a fit on your farm, please let us know and we can accommodate. If you have any other questions, please give us a call.