Weed pressure in untreated plots at the York, NE, Grow More™ Experience site. Weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, velvetleaf and annual grass plague the region.

Like most farms, the York, NE, Grow More Experience site has a strong and diverse weed seed bank. Weeds like waterhemp, velvetleaf, sunflower, grasses, foxtail and the dreaded Palmer amaranth are commonly found at the site. Palmer amaranth continues to be one of the biggest challenges for corn and soybean growers in the area, but also one of the best weeds to target. This is because, typically, if you can control Palmer amaranth, you can control everything else.

Here are some things to consider as you plan your weed management programs for next year:

• Start with a clean field by using either tillage or an effective burndown method. Gramoxone® SL 3.0 herbicide delivers convenient, flexible and dependable burndown of emerged grass and broadleaf weeds in corn and soybeans.

York, NE, Grow More Experience site corn weed management trial. Above is a photo of Acuron® corn herbicide applied as a split-shot preemergence and a post-emergence herbicide spray.

• While Palmer amaranth is showing some resistance to post-emergence products, it is not resistant to preemergence products in this area. For corn fields, consider using Acuron corn herbicide which combines 4 active ingredients (AIs), including the unique AI bicyclopyrone, and 3 effective sites of action (SOAs). The bicyclopyrone component of Acuron provides excellent soil activity and expands the spectrum of large-seeded broadleaf and grass weed control. Trials show Acuron delivers 5-15 more bushels an acre than any other corn herbicide^* when applied preemergence at full label rates, and with current commodity prices, every bushel counts. For soybean fields, BroadAxe® XC or Boundary® 6.5 EC herbicides provide preemergence weed control of Palmer amaranth with long-lasting residual and multiple effective sites of action.

York, NE, Grow More Experience site soybean weed management trial.

Left: BroadAxe XC herbicide applied as a preemergence spray with a post-emergence spray of Flexstar® GT 3.5.

Right: Sonic® herbicide applied as a preemergence spray with a post-emergence spray of Cobra® plus Roundup PowerMAX®. While the weeds in the plot on the right are controlled, the herbicides have stunted the crop and caused considerable burn on the soybean foliage.

• For corn, we suggest following-up with a split-shot post-emergence spray that has residual components, like Acuron corn herbicide. Acuron has a stellar length and spectrum of weed control. With soybeans, a post-emergence application of Flexstar GT 3.5 herbicide delivers 2 different sites of action to control glyphosate and ALS resistance. As shown above, Flexstar GT 3.5 provides post-emergence weed control without causing significant burn on the crop, especially during dry and warm weather. Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology herbicide is another option for dicamba-tolerant soybeans as it controls emerged weeks and has residual control up to 3 weeks longer than dicamba alone.

Work with your local agronomist or Syngenta sales representative to create a full-season weed management plan that includes a variety of cultural and chemical practices that can adapt to your farm’s needs. Weeds adapt to their conditions, and so should we.

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*Acuron yield advantage range based on 2016 Syngenta and University trials comparing Acuron to Corvus®, Resicore®, SureStart® II and Verdict® applied preemergence and at full label rates. For more information on Acuron versus an individual product, ask your Syngenta representative.