Palmer Amaranth Control with Dicamba

Palmer Amaranth Control with Dicamba

weed control

Reports out of Western Tennessee show spotty results with Dicamba on Palmer Amaranth.  Results are discussed in No-Till Farmer. If you do not get a complete kill follow up with other treatments.  A hoe may be the only effective one.

Dicamba Use in Soybeans

Dicamba Use in Soybeans

weed control

Last week Dr. Hager discussed the use of Dicamba with Xtend soybeans.  He cautioned that the Dicamba will not be a silver bullet, but it may be a good tool in the toolbox if used properly.  He says Dicamba was never rated excellent on Water Hemp, but it is very good for now.  You should use the Dicamba according to its very restrictive label.  Beware of too much and too little wind.  There is only one approved nozzle.  If you mess anything up you could be in violation of label restrictions.  More on Dicamba Stewardship.

Weed Control

Weed Control

weed control

Last week we attended the Illinois Crop Management program in Springfield.  They seemed to save the best speaker for last.  Dr. Hager discussed weed control in the resistance era.  He continues to call for multiple modes of action in the same application.  He showed us why herbicide rotations are not really effective in keeping resistance at bay.  His discussion of Palmer Amaranth took up a big part of the program.  He says we need to have zero tolerance.  That means if soybeans are too tangled to walk through, you need to get in the truck or 4 wheeler and go get the plants.  The destruction of crop will be minor in comparison to the problems created by the Palmer amaranth.  Evena few weeds should be removed.  More on resistance here.

More Fall Weed Control

More Fall Weed Control

weed control

My advice would be to start your weed control program for next year now.  Aaron Hagar offers fall weed control advice in this Bulletin.

Fall Weed Control

Fall Weed Control

cover crops weed control

I have written several times on fall weed  control.  Early on, I failed to see the value.  With resistant weeds and heavy pressure, fall weed control is making sense to me at this point.  One fall weed control technique is to use fall applied herbicide.  A residual herbicide will not only supress the winter annuals, but i will also give some early spring control.  Use herbicides if you have n ot planned on cover crops.

The second technique of course it to use cover crops.  Weed suppression will last well into the growing season, and I have seen very good results.  You may still be able to get cereal rye seed to sow on fields that are going to soybeans next spring.  If this is your first time to use cover crops, I do not recommend planting corn into cereal rye.  I have one customer who is planning to do so, but he has done a lot of research on the subject before taking the plunge.

No-till Farmer says Weed Control and Soil Health go Hand in Hand.  

Herbicides and Cover Crops

Herbicides and Cover Crops

cover crops weed control

Cover Crops are a great way to improve your soil health and enhance your weed control.  Issues with using cover crops include the ability to plant them in a timely manner and the ability to get a reasonable stand.  One of the factors standing in the way of a good stand is what residual herbicide have you used on the current crop.  No-till Farmer writes about Corn and Soybean Herbicides and Rotation to Cover Crops .  They say that for most herbicides, you should not have a problem.

Sources of Palmer Amaranth in the Midwest

Sources of Palmer Amaranth in the Midwest

weed control

It is a really bad year for Waterhemp in our area.  Palmer Amaranth is closely related, and vigilance is needed to keep it under control.  Beware of sources that may bring seeds to your area.  I have seen Palmer Amaranth in Bond County that came in Cottonseed dairy feed products.  The seed runs through the cow and you spread it on your fields.  Another source may be CRP seed.  This article out of Ohio from No-Till Farmer suggests screening CRP mixes to get rid of Palmer Amaranth. I have heard reports of dirty seed out of Iowa as well.  Also, be sure clean harvest equipment when moving from infested fields.  University of Arkansas is suggesting the only way to control Palmer Amaranth is total eradication.