Later planting and application timing can make preemergence herbicides more effective against late-emerging weeds.

The planting window in the Midwest is rapidly closing, and unconventional strategies might be needed this year to manage weeds and protect yields. While some areas continued to see heavy rain during the middle part of June, others are finally drying out, allowing growers to get into their fields to plant.

Their first instinct may be to plant as many acres as possible before more rain falls. But, there may be a better strategy.

At this point, the delay in planting is likely to affect yields. The focus shouldn’t be on just how much growers can plant, but rather on the quality of what they can grow. That means spraying preemergence herbicides in coordination with or immediately following planting to increase the yield potential of the fields that are planted.

The University of Minnesota Extension notes that late planting can give an advantage over early-emerging weeds, especially species that have displayed herbicide resistance. Tillage before planting can provide greater control of weeds such as lambsquarters and giant ragweed.

Be sure to apply a preemergence herbicide at planting. The later application timing this season will make it more effective against late-emerging weeds, like waterhemp. We also recommend using a post-emergence herbicide for a 2-pass system with overlapping residuals.

For soybeans, we recommend a preemergence application of Boundary^® 6.5 EC or BroadAxe^® XC herbicides, both of which contain 2 effective sites of action (SOAs). Those can be followed by Tavium^® Plus VaporGrip^® Technology herbicide, the market’s first premix residual dicamba herbicide. Tavium is a formulation of dicamba and S-metolachlor, making it convenient for managing key ALS-, PPO- and glyphosate-resistant broadleaf and grass weeds in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^® Soybeans. It offers the flexibility to be applied from preplant through early post-emergence.

For corn, we recommend Acuron^® herbicide, which combines 4 active ingredients (AIs) and 3 effective SOAs. Acuron also offers flexible application from 28 days preplant up to 12” corn. The atrazine-free counterpart of Acuron, Acuron Flexi, has 3 AIs, 2 effective SOAs, and provides the same safety and performance from 28 days preplant up to 30” corn. Acuron Flexi also allows for the flexibility to add atrazine or glyphosate based on farming practice.

Both Acuron and Acuron Flexi can be followed by Halex^® GT corn herbicide plus either an atrazine or dicamba herbicide for season-long control of annual grass and broadleaf weeds.

Share a photo of your Acuron or Acuron Flexi corn herbicide-treated rows on Twitter or Instagram, using #ShowYourRowContest, for a chance to win a $500 StubHub^TM gift card.

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