In 2022, the herbicide “Magnum”, well known to Russian farmers, produced by the company “August”, designed to combat a wide range of annual and perennial dicotyledonous weeds, received expanded registration for use on lands of various categories, including some forest lands, railway tracks , lands for industrial and other special purposes, as well as populated areas. This made it possible to use the drug to combat such a dangerous weed as Sosnovsky's hogweed in key areas of its distribution.
With the participation of the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosselkhoztsentr" in the Leningrad, Murmansk regions and the Republic of Karelia, demonstration tests were carried out in 2023 to determine the optimal consumption rates of the drug when used in cities and villages. As a result, a complete absence of hogweed plants was observed in the treated areas, and the drug itself proved to be an economical herbicide that destroys harmful plants even in small dosages.
The drug "Magnum" (active ingredient metsulfuron-methyl, 600 g/kg) is produced in the form of water-dispersible granules. Demonstration tests for its use against hogweed were carried out at the experimental site of the Menkovsky branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Agrophysical Research Institute" of the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region.
The treatment was carried out on May 16, 2023 at an air temperature of 20℃, relative humidity of 38% and wind of 2–3 m/s. Hogweed plants of different ages 20–40 cm high were treated with three variants of a tank mixture, including the Magnum herbicide and the herbicide activity enhancer Adju (isodecyl alcohol ethoxylate, 900 g/l) - an adjuvant that ensures the retention of drops of the herbicide working solution on the surface of the leaves weeds, better spreading and increased coverage area. The use of a rain-resistant surfactant in the tank mixture proved to be an effective solution in unstable weather conditions, with the first precipitation falling within 20 minutes of the herbicide application. The Magnum and Adju components in the tank mixture were used according to variants at the following consumption rates: 0,08 kg/ha + 0,2 l/ha, 0,15 kg/ha + 0,2 l/ha, 0,3 kg/ha + 0,2 l/ha, respectively.
The main objective of the experiment was to obtain a visual representation of the advantages and features of using the Magnum herbicide on the lands of populated areas. In accordance with the regulations, the rate of use of the drug at city (rural) sites is from 0,05 kg/ha to 0,3 kg/ha. Tests have shown that the drug demonstrates high effectiveness in controlling weeds even in small dosages, and the effectiveness of options with different consumption rates turned out to be approximately the same. 10 days after the treatment, all plants of Sosnovsky's hogweed stopped growing. By the end of the growing season, hogweed disappeared in the experimental plots, and other plants took its place, while in the untreated control plot the weed developed throughout the summer.
“At the end of the growing season on September 7, in all variants of the experiment, a complete absence of Sosnovsky hogweed plants was observed; single plants of the weed were noted from soil seed reserves. The height of hogweed with a peduncle in the control was 200–210 cm,” says the report of the branch of the Russian Agricultural Center.
“The Magnum herbicide has long established itself as an effective remedy against hogweed, not only destroying the plant itself, but also significantly limiting the germination of its seeds due to soil activity and long-term aftereffect,” notes Yuri Dyakonov, key account manager for the group in Central and North -Western region of the company "August". – While exterminating dicotyledonous weeds, the drug does not affect cereals, therefore, in treated areas, hogweed is successfully replaced by perennial cereal grasses. Demonstration tests in the Leningrad region in 2023 first of all showed that Magnum is indeed an economical herbicide that allows you to successfully combat Sosnovsky’s hogweed on the lands of populated areas even at low rates of drug consumption, while minimizing the chemical load on the environment.”