When it comes to weed control it’s always nice to start clean.
That’s certainly the case on this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School as we find host Bernard Tobin and BASF Canada agronomist Rob Miller checking out the results of fall weed control in a 2024 winter wheat field that was followed by an oat cover crop and a fall herbicide application.
Miller says the open fall and early harvest provided a great opportunity to demonstrate the power of fall weed control. He notes that the strategy delivered excellent control of perennial weeds, including dandelion, Canada fleabane, chickweed and shepherds purse.
“We’re not chasing weeds, especially larger perennial weeds that have those larger tap roots,” says Miller. “We do have to continue to monitor the field — we’re going to have some annual flushes — but we’re setting ourselves up for success and one less thing to do during the busy spring.”
Miller also shares management tips for other tools in the weed control toolbox. In fields where fall weed control wasn’t an option, pre-plant incorporated and pre-emergent herbicides are asked to much of the heavy lifting. For these products, Miller says it’s important to pay attention to application timing to optimize results.
“If we’re spraying that product mid- or late-April we’re asking a lot of that soil-applied residual chemistry because we’re probably still eight weeks away from corn canopy closure,” notes Miller. In this case, it’s good to get the job done but a sound weed management strategy would include keeping an eye on the field just in case there are weed escapes, later flushing weeds, or oddball weeds that need to be touched up before canopy closure.
In the video, Miller and Tobin also discuss grass control strategy. Miller says how to control perennial grasses is the most common question he gets from growers. In this case, he stresses the importance of maintaining glyphosate rates as well as identification. He adds that grass species, including annual and roughstock bluegrass, are gaining a foothold in Ontario and control starts with proper identification.
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