Wheat producer Darin Okerson, an agronomist with Turtle Lake Farmers Union, put Pixxaro® EC herbicide and WideARmatch™ herbicide to the test on his North Dakota farm. Okerson's side-by-side research trials yielded encouraging results in 2020, with the dryland wheat fields cutting in the mid-70-bushel range. “Both WideARmatch and Pixxaro controlled weeds through crop canopy,” Okerson says. “We got the control that we needed.”

Taking Down Kochia and Buckwheat

In a year that began with very dry conditions, Okerson's biggest weed issues were kochia and wild buckwheat. “The effective kochia control we got from both products made harvest easier and more efficient and likely saved us a preharvest pass. When you need to come back and spray a preharvest herbicide to control breakthrough kochia, you are spending an extra $10 per acre or more,” he says.  Okerson sprayed two tank mixes on his spring wheat. One tank mix contained Pixxaro EC herbicide, Everest 3.0 herbicide and propiconazole for disease control. A second tank mix consisted of WideARmatch herbicide, Everest 3.0 herbicide and 2,4-D LV6. Both herbicide tank mixes were sprayed in early June in fourth-leaf spring wheat. “Because we had such a dry spring, we had more broadleaf issues than grass pressure,” he says. “Both Pixxaro and WideARmatch did a good job with our bigger weeds.”

Choosing the Right Herbicide Mix

Crop rotation plans, weed spectrum and environmental conditions all play a role in determining which herbicide mix best fits each field. “If there's thistle, we'll go with WideARmatch. If there's no thistle, we'll go with Pixxaro for the rotation flexibility it offers,” Okerson says. Because he's seeing more glyphosate resistance in kochia, Okerson targets kochia, Canada thistle and common mallow with the tank mix containing WideARmatch herbicide. Often, glyphosate-resistant kochia will escape a burndown application, and a second flush can emerge later in the growing season. “In this area, we need the higher rate of fluroxypyr to control kochia,” he says. “Kochia is our main weed, and sometimes it gets larger than is ideal, and you need that higher rate of active ingredient for control.”

Reaping the Benefits

The benefits of WideARmatch with Arylex® active, Okerson says, are better kochia control, the flexibility and convenience of a premix, and higher rates of active ingredients. “I was very impressed with the weed control provided by WideARmatch,” he says. “You don't see any weeds coming up in the rows.” An added benefit of WideARmatch, he says, is that you are attacking problem weeds with multiple sites of action. “Arylex active has decent activity on kochia on its own, plus fluroxypyr has activity against kochia,” Okerson says.

Okerson's tank mix containing a 6-ounce rate of Pixxaro EC herbicide primarily targeted kochia, with wild buckwheat control also a goal. “We sprayed when kochia was fairly small, about 3 to 4 inches, and the only place that came back through was where the wheat stand was very thin due to drought issues. Otherwise, the treated area stayed clean through harvest,” he says. The main advantages of Pixxaro EC, as he sees it, are the superior control of kochia, bindweed and wild buckwheat, as well as greater crop rotation flexibility and an economically sustainable price point.

Visit WideARmatch.Corteva.US to learn more about how WideARmatch tackles tough weeds in wheat.

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