Pulse School: Targeting the critical weed free period

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For all crops, there’s a critical weed free period — a time early in the season where the crop must be kept weed-free to prevent yield loss potential. For pulses, the length of time ranges depending on the pulse type.

Ken Wall of Federated Co-operatives Ltd., joins this Pulse School episode to discuss why early weed control is so important. In peas, for example, Wall says weeds must be controlled from emergence to the six-to-eight node stage, as this is when the crop is most vulnerable to weed pressure.

“There’s a lot of open ground, and there’s a lot of places for the weeds to get established. And of course, weeds like kochia and buckwheat, they get started, they get to that four- or five-inch stage, and by the time you’re spraying, they can be really tough to control,” he explains.

“So you want to make sure you get those early while the ground is exposed, especially using the residual products, you can really put a damper on some of those weeds.”

It may seem early in the season, but this critical weed free period has significant impacts on final yield — especially in areas where moisture may be especially short to begin with.

Check out the full conversation between Wall and RealAgriculture’s Kara Oosterhuis, below:

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