Planting in the Midwest.

2019 was off to a turbulent start with some Midwest growers facing heavy rain and snowfall, a rare bomb cyclone, and flood conditions. As a result, many fields have been saturated going into planting.

The high amount of precipitation this year has delayed more than just planting; early-season herbicide programs have also been impacted. Wet conditions cause delays in herbicide applications and it’s important to be flexible and have an approach to managing such a scenario.

Wet Weather

While water is necessary to help activate herbicides, too much can have an adverse effect. Herbicides should be applied to dry ground when rain is forecasted soon after application. On average, herbicides need a half-inch to get started; however, growers should consult their herbicide label to be sure.

Be Flexible

While different every year, most delays with herbicides arise around post-emergence applications. Planning accordingly will help you stay ahead of any weather-related curveballs. Burndown and pre-emergence herbicides offer added flexibility if adverse weather hits during post-emergence applications. Overlapping residuals will provide a wider application window and help alleviate stress from potential weather delays.

Acuron^®, Acuron Flexi and Halex^® GT herbicides are solutions for corn growers that provide a wide application window. Acuron combines 4 active ingredients, 3 effective sites of action (SOAs) and a corn safener, benoxacor, in 1 convenient premix. Acuron provides flexible application from 28 days preplant up to 12” corn.

Its atrazine-free counterpart, Acuron Flexi, has 3 active ingredients, 2 effective SOAs with an increased application window – from 28 days preplant up to 30” corn.

Both Acuron brands can be applied in 1 or 2-pass systems. In a 2-pass system, Halex GT plus either an atrazine or dicamba product may be used as the post application.

Boundary^® 6.5 EC or BroadAxe^® XC herbicides followed by Flexstar^® GT 3.5 or Tavium^® Plus VaporGrip^® Technology herbicides provide soybean growers with an extended application window to help allow for more timely post-emergence applications.

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