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Wisconsin seeks comment on potential Linex 4L registration

Wisconsin’s ag department is considering a special registration to allow a weed killer in sandy soils with restrictions. 

The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is taking comments until March 15^th on whether to allow expanded use of Linex 4L.  The product is allowed on other crops in heavier soils, but DATCP says the registration pre-emergence use on potatoes as a five-year permit expired at the end of 2020.

Supporters say the registration would help potato growers control broadleaf weeds, especially common ragweed, and Eastern black nightshade, which has become a larger problem in recent years, particularly in the Central Sands area where pesticide options are limited. Nightshade also produces poisonous berries that present a hazard in harvesting a food crop.

The active ingredient in Linex 4L is linuron.  The proposed registration would go through the end of 2025 and would restrict use based on the amount of organic matter in the soil and depth to groundwater.  Public comments are being taken by email, and the link is online at Brownfield Ag News.

Submit comments to Alyssa Foss by mail at P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911 or by email at [email protected].