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A residual herbicide for use as a pre-emergence selective herbicide, acting through root uptake, for the control of annual weeds in early and maincrop potatoes.

Artist is a powerful residual herbicide designed to give you effective pre-emergence control over a wide range of grass and broad-leaved weeds in early and main crop varieties of potatoes including seed potatoes.

Artist delivers extremely robust residual control of a broad spectrum of weeds in potato crops when applied pre-emergence of the crop.  Artist is highly effective against grass and broad-leaved weeds and is the most effective residual herbicide where mixed grass and broad-leaved weeds need to be targeted.  Where weeds have already emerged, we recommend adding a contact herbicide.

Class-leading control of cleavers
Effective control of a wide range of annual broad-leaved and grass-weeds
Helps control difficult grass-weeds in the rotation
Cost-effective
Applied pre-emergence, Artist protects right from the start
Simple to use, only one timing
No crop check
No label restriction on crops for processing

To achieve the best results from Artist and improve uptake via the roots of germinating weeds, ensure soils are sufficiently moist at or shortly after application. Effectiveness will be reduced under dry conditions. Residual activity may be reduced on peaty or organic soils, or mineral soils with a high organic matter content.

Artist should be applied pre-emergence of crop and weeds, and before there are any visible sign of potato shoots appearing. As soon as the soil has settled, apply Artist evenly to both sides of the potato ridges which should be well-rounded and contain few clods.

Don’t use Artist on stony or gravelly soils as there is a risk of crop damage, especially if heavy rain falls soon after application
Avoid spray drift onto neighbouring crops, particularly sensitive crops such as lettuce and brassicas
Avoid cultivations after spraying as this will encourage further weed germination and reduce the residual activity of Artist
Don’t treat any crops grown on sands or Maris Piper or Santa grown on ‘Very Light Soils’ (ADAS ‘85 Classification)

Where the weeds have already emerged, we recommend using Artist in conjunction with a contact herbicide.

Early and maincrop POTATOES
Maximum individual dose: 2.5 kg product/hectare
Maximum total dose: 2.5 kg product/hectare/crop
Latest time of application: Before crop emergence

DIRECTIONS FOR USE
IMPORTANT: This information is approved as part of the Product Label. All instructions within this section must be read carefully in order to obtain safe and successful use of this product.
Artist is a water-dispersible granular formulation for use as a pre-emergence selective herbicide, acting through root uptake, for the control of annual weeds in early and maincrop potatoes.
RESTRICTIONS
Do NOT treat crops grown on sands. The maximum residue level for flufenacet is 0.15 mg/kg and must not be exceeded

HERBICIDE RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT
When herbicides with the same mode of action are used repeatedly over several years in the same field, selection of resistant biotypes can take place. These can propagate and may become dominating. A weed species is considered to be resistant to a herbicide if it survives a correctly-applied treatment at the recommended dose. A strategy for preventing and managing such resistance should be adopted. This should include integrating herbicides with a programme of cultural control measures. Guidelines have been produced by the Weed Resistance Action Group and copies are available from the HGCA, CPA, your distributor, crop adviser or product manufacturer Strains of some annual grasses (eg black-grass, wild-oats, and Italian rye-grass) have developed resistance to herbicides, which may lead to poor control. A strategy for preventing and managing such resistance should be adopted. Guidelines have been produced by the Weed Resistance Action Group and copies are available from the HGCA, CPA, your distributor, crop adviser or product manufacturer.
Populations of black-grass and Italian rye-grass with high levels of enhanced metabolism resistance will not be fully controlled.

WEEDS CONTROLLED
The following annual weeds are controlled by a pre-emergence application of Artist:

Broad-leaved weeds: Black-bindweed (MS), Common chickweed, Cleavers (MS), Red dead-nettle, Fat-hen, Fool’s parsley, Groundsel, Knotgrass, Scented mayweed, Black nightshade (MS), Common orache, Field pansy, Redshank, Annual mercury.

Grass weeds: Black-grass*, Annual meadow-grass, Italian rye-grass.

MS = Moderately susceptible; higher levels of control are often achieved.
* When applied for control of other weeds, evidence shows that Artist also has activity against black-grass and Italian rye-grass.

Artist does not control perennial weeds. In situations where potatoes follow grass an autumn herbicide treatment or cultivations should be used to kill out the sward. Shoots appearing from any surviving turves may be controlled post-planting, but before crop emergence, using a suitable approved contact herbicide.

CROP SPECIFIC INFORMATION
The following potato varieties may be treated with Artist before crop emergence:
First Earlies
All commercially available varieties may be treated, except those grown on sands

Second Earlies
All commercially available varieties except Fambo and crops grown on sands. Do not treat Shepody grown on sands or very light soils.

Maincrop
All commercially available varieties except crops grown on sands. Do NOT treat Maris Piper or Sante grown on ‘Sands’ or ‘Very Light Soils’ (ADAS ‘85 Classification).
For information on new potato varieties please contact Bayer CropScience Limited or your Artist distributor.

APPLICATION
Apply at a rate of 2.5 kg product/ha. Application must be before emergence of the crop and weeds. Apply as a MEDIUM quality spray (BCPC Classification) using not less than 200 litres water per hectare. Increase the water volume where any soil clods are unavoidably present. Artist may be applied on all soil types except ‘Sands’ (ADAS Classification).
For optimal weed control soils must be sufficiently moist at or shortly after application to ensure adequate uptake of active ingredient via the roots of germinating weed seedlings.
Effectiveness will be reduced under dry soil conditions. Ridges should be well rounded with few clods. Cultivations should produce a soil tilth that requires no further improvement after planting. Cultivation after spraying will encourage weed germination and reduce the residual activity of Artist. On mineral soils with a high organic matter content and on peaty or organic soils the residual activity of Artist may be reduced. On stony or gravelly soils there is a risk of crop damage, especially if heavy rain falls soon after application.
Ensure Artist is applied evenly overall to both sides of potato ridges. Care must be taken to ensure that application takes place before crop emergence.
Artist sprayed onto any part of the potato plant will cause crop damage; therefore, it is essential that application is made before there are any visible signs of potato shoots emerging from the soil.
Take care to avoid spray drift onto neighbouring crops; particularly sensitive crops which include sugar beet, lettuce and brassicas.

MIXING
Half-fill the spray tank with clean water. Commence agitation. Steadily add the recommended quantity of Artist to the spray tank (pre-mixing is not necessary). Complete filling and maintain
agitation of the suspension before and during spraying until the tank is empty. After spraying, thoroughly clean and flush out application machinery with a minimum of three rinses. Ensure that all traces of the product are removed.

SUCCEEDING CROPS
Before drilling or planting any succeeding crop the soil MUST be mouldboard ploughed to a depth of at least 15 cm taking care to ensure that the furrow slice is inverted. Ploughing should be carried out as soon as possible (preferably within 3-4 weeks) after lifting the potato crop, but certainly no later than the end of December.

In the Same Calendar Year
Provided at least 16 weeks have elapsed after the application of the recommended rate of Artist, the following crops may be grown; cereals or winter beans.
In West Cornwall, on soils with more than 5% organic matter, early potatoes which have been treated with the recommended rate of Artist may be followed by summer planted brassica crops provided that at least 14 weeks have elapsed from spraying, spring rainfall was normal, and that mouldboard ploughing takes place after potato lifting and before drilling or transplanting the brassica crop.

In the Following Calendar Year
Do not grow any vegetable brassica crop (including cauliflowers, calabrese, Brussels sprouts and cabbages) on silt soils in Lincolnshire, or lettuce and radish crops anywhere in the UK, on land treated with Artist in the previous year. Any other crop may be grown from spring onwards in the calendar year following use of Artist.

COMPANY ADVISORY INFORMATION
Factors relating to product / crop agronomy
Certain weeds may develop resistance to Bayer products. Since such circumstances are beyond our control, Bayer CropScience will be under no liability for any resulting loss or damage whatsoever.