There’s nothing more frustrating than starting a crop season “behind the eight ball” when it comes to weed control, but that’s what happened to growers in the Southeast in 2015. Dry, hot conditions challenged burndown applications and activation of residual herbicides. With little to stop them, weeds got off to an aggressive start.

Unfortunately, without moisture to activate the preemergence herbicide program, growers couldn’t get ahead of weeds and some situations became unmanageable. We saw heavy weed escapes involving glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth as well as an increase in populations of common and giant ragweed plus morningglory. These weeds went to seed, priming the seedbank for next year, but this doesn’t have to spell disaster.

Be proactive, scout

By taking a proactive approach now, growers can start 2016 with clean fields and a strategy that will help keep fields clean all season long. Scouting fields and referring to field history provides knowledge of the weeds in each field and their prevalence, which is vital in choosing the most effective herbicide combinations.

Control late-season weeds

Where late-season weeds are actively growing this fall, use tillage or a burndown application to stop further seed development and make it easier to start clean next spring. Palmer amaranth can produce around 500,000 seeds per plant and up to 1 million in ideal conditions. Like most weeds, the seeds remain viable in the soil for several years.

Follow a program approach

When planning a herbicide strategy, especially in areas with significant resistant populations, use a program approach that starts with broad-spectrum soil residual herbicides offering multiple modes of action. Preemergence herbicide applications — including a burndown — create a clean field at planting and offer control of early season weeds, eliminating weed competition during the crop’s critical early growth. 

This window of early season control also provides time to plant your entire crop and then get back into fields for timely application of postemergence herbicide that will control weeds throughout the entire season. With new technology such as the Enlist^™ Weed Control System and Enlist Duo^® herbicide at full label rates, growers have another effective option for control of the toughest weeds, including resistant and hard-to-control species. Enlist corn, soybeans and cotton are tolerant to Enlist Duo herbicide, a proprietary blend of new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate. Regulatory approvals are pending for the use of Enlist Duo on Enlist cotton.  

For more information on developing a program approach to weed control for your farm and the latest herbicide-tolerant trait technology to help manage hard-to-control and resistant weeds in 2016, visit the Enlist YouTube channel, follow on Twitter at @EnlistOnline or visit Enlist.com.

_{™Enlist and Enlist Duo are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Enlist Duo herbicide is not yet registered for use on Enlist cotton. Enlist Duo is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. ©2015 Dow AgroSciences LLC}