When it comes to weed control in soybeans, it’s always best to start clean and stay that way, but when bad spring weather delays field work and planting, growers often find themselves forced to plant now and spray later.
That’s exactly what many Ontario farmers found themselves in in 2024. A wet spring meant many soybean fields were planted without a chance to spray herbicides. Cool spring temperatures meant sprayers rushed to cover cornfields and apply fungicide to wheat, but many of the unsprayed soybean fields quickly became overrun with weeds.
In this episode Real Agriculture Soybean SchoolBASF Canada agronomist Rob Miller shares strategies and options for growers in this pinch.
“With IP soybeans, your options are somewhat limited because you have to keep applying residuals until the canopy closes,” Miller says. In this case, growers can’t use soil-applied products such as metribuzin, but residuals play an important role in controlling resistant weeds such as fleabane, Group 2- and Group 5-resistant lamb’s quarter, waterhemp and Group 14-resistant ragweed. Miller advises growers to check product labels to make sure the product can be applied post-emergence.
The next concern are broadleaf weeds, which Miller says are always difficult to control and can have a particularly severe impact on IP soybean yields. The final concern are grasses such as foxtail, barnyard grass and crabgrass.
When it comes to post-emergence strategies, Miller says growers should be mindful of antagonisms when tank mixing products. In some cases, split applications may be the best choice, with intervals of five to seven days recommended depending on the mix.
In the video, Miller also explains the importance of choosing the right adjuvants to apply to your products, as well as the importance of being wary of products that may already contain adjuvants. Check out the video below:
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