Contamination of manure with aminopyralid
Sun, 23/05/2010 - 13:33 — lizgrace
I have had a report from a Midmar plotholder of poor growth of raspberries after application of manure; this was sourced locally. The person who organised the order is away at the moment and so I cannot be sure of the supplier.
The question was raised as to whether the poor growth is due to contamination by AMINOPYRALID, which I understand is sometimes applied to pasture to improve the grazing quality (by presumably selectively killing off broad-leaved weeds).
Has anyone else had a similar problem with manure which was supplied in the last 6 months?
Contamination of manure with aminopryalid
If you go back over entries on the Home page over the last two years you will see our account of the sorry saga. The problem was first noticed two years ago. After a petition the Scottish Parliament banned the use of aminopryalid. Dow Agrichemicals (the manufacturer) successfully lobbied and it was allowed back on to the market. Users are warned to "act responsibly" but there is no way of knowing if the manure you are sourcing has been in contact with or mixed with material containing the contaminant. The only way of avoiding trouble is to make your own compost and rely upon that.
The hormone which is the active ingredient will break down in the soil over a number of years. Until then your land is unusable. Thanks, Dow.
Ernie Watt (Cambridge Avenue).