Dual Magnum is registered for use in numerous row crops and specialty crops in the state of Indiana. While some vegetable crops (beans, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, rhubarb, and tomatoes) appear on the specimen or national label (Section 3 label), fruit crops do not. Numerous specialty crops that do not appear on the specimen label are included in the 24(c) special local need label, including many of the “small fruits” (cane berries, bush berries, and strawberries). But finding the 24(c) label, which was recently updated in 2019, can be difficult.
The new 24(c) label is available on the National Pesticide Information Retrieval System web site: http://npirspublic.ceris.purdue.edu/state/state_menu.aspx?state=IN. To find it, type “SLN IN” and “130003” in the first two boxes for “EPA Registration Number” and click the search button. The product report will show “DUAL MAGNUM – TRANSPLANTED BELL PEPPERS.” Click on the ALLSTAR symbol. On the page that opens, click on the Company Label ID number “IN0816048DA0319.” This will open a pdf of the label.
The active ingredient in Dual Magnum is S-metolachlor. It is a soil-applied herbicide with activity on a wide range of grass and small-seeded broadleaf weeds. It is also one of few herbicides registered in specialty crops with pre-emergence activity on yellow nutsedge. However, it will not control emerged weeds and requires a rainfall or irrigation event to be “activated” (moved into the soil where weeds seeds are actively germinating). Be aware that although generics of metolachlor (for example, Me-Too-LachlorTM) are available, their labels often do not include the crops covered by the Dual Magnum 24(c) label. Consult each product label for information about registered uses and application rates. There may also be confusion with Dual II Magnum (or variants thereof), which contains a safener specifically to improve crop safety when used in corn grown in cool soil conditions. For more information on chemical control of weeds, consult the Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide at https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/hort/documents/id-465.pdf.
