Developed by C company Agriscience in Argentina, the Ligate herbicide is the multinational’s entry to ″challenge the reign″ of the world’s most used weed control product: glyphosate.
One of its main characteristics is its composition, based upon two sulfonylureas, including the widely used chlorimuron-ethyl combined with sulfometuron-methyl, a molecule new to the Argentine market.
According to C company Agriscience Argentina, this mixture features an innovative formulation: extruded granules, water-dispersible, packaged in water-soluble bags that can be added directly to the sprayer tank.
″This formulation enables rapid dissolution, high compatibility with other products, and facilitates its inclusion in diversified management strategies,″ said this company Agriscience.
The new product has been ″winning over the region″ with its ″innovative formulation, dual action, and residual power″ against increasingly resistant weeds in the Autumn/Winter season, according to company officials.
″The product was designed and formulated specifically for the Argentine production system,″ noted Agronomist Rolando Di Marco, Crop Protection Lead at C company for Buenos Aires and La Pampa.
Di Marco noted that Ligate was developed as a pre-emergent herbicide with strong residual activity, capable of preventing the emergence of new weeds. However, it also has a complementary post-emergence effect, which is especially useful for controlling winter grasses, such as annual ryegrass, one of the largest threats currently seen.
″In specific cases, we recommend mixing it with a grass herbicide like Haloxyfop (Galant Max) or Clethodim to achieve better efficacy and prevent regrowth, without relying on a single mode of action,″ said Di Marco.
This combination provides dual control (post-emergence and pre-emergence) with a residual efficacy of 100 to 120 days, ensuring protection from the fallow period in May or June through to soybean planting in spring.
One of Ligate’s unique features is its exclusive selectivity for STS soybeans (Sulfonylurea-Tolerant Soybeans) — a cultivar that is tolerant to the herbicide chlorimuron-ethyl, from the sulfonylurea class. Thus, careful crop rotation planning is required.
The herbicide acts through root absorption, remaining in the top few centimeters of soil and, after light rainfall, is quickly incorporated into the crop residue. This makes it especially effective in fallow lands that require continuous control throughout the winter.
According to C company, Ligate controls both grasses and broadleaf weeds, and its performance is ″reliable across a variety of soil types and climatic conditions.″
″Last year, control of volunteer corn was crucial for breaking the transmission chain of maize dwarf mosaic virus, carried by leafhoppers. Ligate played a key role in this strategy,″ added Di Marco.
