PBI Gordon ready with new SpeedZone herbicide

Golf Course News, Nov 2001 by Overbeck, Andrew

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the face of its recall of Bensumec 4LF, PBI Gordon Corp. is pressing on with the introduction of a brand new selective broadleaf herbicide that is both fast acting and effective in cool weather conditions.

While carfentrazone has long been used in agricultural markets, PBI Gordon has purchased the turf and ornamental rights to the chemistry from FMC. The company recently received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency and will introduce the product under the SpeedZone brand name for the 2002 season.

"When combined with phenoxies, carfentrazone brings new attributes to weed control," said Bill Brocker, vice president of marketing. "It works extremely well in cool weather, below 50 degrees, and it is fast. There are visible results in 24 hours and you have completely dead, dry, shriveled weeds in three to seven days.

"This puts us in a unique position in the market," he continued. "It can be used very early in the spring and very late in the fall to control weeds when they are germinating."

According to Doug Obermann, the turf and ornamental marketing manager, SpeedZone and its allied formulas have a lower level of active ingredient than other products on the market. "It has a lower impact," he said. "That has helped us get it through the EPA registration process faster." It also means that the product, which is rain-fast in just three hours, will carry a "caution" label instead of a "danger" label.

While studies show that SpeedZone is very effective against hard to kill broadleaf weeds like ground ivy, white clover and spurge, the company is still testing the product's safety on bentgrass greens.

"SpeedZone will be perfect for use in fairways and roughs," said Brocker. "Superintendents will appreciate how quickly weeds disappear from turf."

SpeedZone will be launched at the 2002 GCSAA Show and be available for the 2002 season. The new herbicide, however, may force PBI Gordon to shuffle its product lineup.

"We will let the market decide whether this will replace one of our older herbicides," Brocker said. "This is going to be a top-end herbicide, but it is possible that it could replace the sales of some of our other products."