Fall Weed Burndown

CL #66, October 2014

 Growers already know that between this year’s harvest and next spring’s early planting time, the winter annual weeds can take over fields.

Late season weeds grow during warm spells and create problems in spring. A fall burndown herbicide application, after corn and soybean harvests, is a good practice in minimum or no-till fields to better manage tough winter annual weeds and grasses like marestail, orchardgrass sods and quackgrass.

By eliminating winter annual, biennial and perennial weeds with a fall burndown, growers benefit in the following ways:

Application Flexibility

A fall burndown application gives more growers more flexibility since there are usually more suitable days for fieldwork. Weather may not be as big a factor and it will allow fewer interruptions to get the spraying done.

A fall burndown provides flexibility in the spring. Spring weather is always unpredictable due to the cold-wet days making preplant or burndown herbicide application difficult to manage. Spring means growers face cold, wet spring weather, resulting in less time to apply a preplant or burndown herbicide.

Soil Temperature

Springtime soil temperatures should increase more quickly in fields where a fall residual herbicide was applied.

Fall burndown helps retain soil moisture and nutrients since weeds compete for moisture and take away nutrients.

Earlier Spring Planting

Gives growers better flexibility in better management of their time in spring

Provides growers the opportunity for an earlier planting date.

Cleaner fields mean that crops have more time to maximize the fertilizer applications for crop growth resulting in better yields.

Control of Pests

Fall burndown yields less annual weeds and less cover for insects to become established; less insect pressure. Fewer weeds in the field mean insects have fewer habitats for populations to become established. For example, cyst nematodes and cutworms are more easily controlled.

Summary:

Fall burndown gives growers flexibility by allowing them, in springtime, to get into cleaner fields on their schedule, not mother natures, ultimately yielding better crop growth leading to potentially higher yields and profits.

Typical winter annuals, biennials & perennials susceptible to fall burndown:

• Marestail (annual)
• Wild Carrot (biennial)
• Poison Hemlock (biennial)
• Dandelion (perennial)
• Quackgrass (perennial)
• Canada thistle (perennial)

Following is the general group of herbicides that will control emerged weeds when applied in a fall burndown process:

For Soybeans next spring

• Canopy EX or DF + 2,4-D
• Glyphosate + 2,4-D
• Metribuzin + 2,4-D (excluding dandelions)

For Corn next spring

• Basis + 2,4-D
• Glyphosate + 2,4-D
• Simazine + 2,4-D (except dandelion)

 HOOK: Fall Burndown Advantage in the Spray Tank

In fall burndown fields, herbicides and adjuvant options are many. However, the fields need to be clean for the spring planting season.  Whether you use Glyphosate, 2,4-D, Canopy products or the old standards Simazine and Metribuzin, the key to unlocking weed control is using the right tank mix additive (adjuvant).  Atlantic-Pacific’s HOOK adjuvant does the job best.

HOOK is the “All-In-One” adjuvant to use.

Using HOOK and putting it last in the spray tank at the 1-3 quart rate in No-Till fields, with your selected herbicides, will make your weed control more worry-free.

It has droplet specific functions in that the tank spray with HOOK will seek out those weeds in the messy field debris to coat, stick, penetrate and help the herbicide control them better than any other adjuvant.

You don’t need to use COC (Crop Oil Concentrate), Ammonium Sulfate or any other Non-ionic surfactants.   Just use HOOK.

Contact your Atlantic-Pacific Dealer or Representative for advice on Fall Burndown and herbicide application information. When applying herbicides and adjuvants, follow all label instructions carefully.

Is Increasing Nitrogen (N) Part of your Late Fall Routine?

 Use UpGRADE for your Granular Urea

UpGRADE is a unique polymer blend slow release agent designed to coat prilled urea.

UpGRADE reduces urea dissolution and the potential for volatilization over the competition and untreated urea from 25% to 50% when used at the 3 to 4 quart rate per ton of urea.

When UpGRADE is applied to urea, it provides more uniform nitrogen availability for your crops. Its slow release polymer formula blend allows for nitrogen release. UpGRADE minimizes urea dissolution and volatilization.

UpGRADE eliminates another trip over the field, saving money and time.

Use Treble for UAN Solutions and Anhydrous Ammonia (AA)

TREBLE is a unique blended liquid polymer slow release agent designed to be added to UAN solutions to improve nitrogen efficiency by encompassing the UAN with the TREBLE and hooking it to the soil. The UAN is then available in the soil/root zone for a longer period of time than UAN alone. Use Treble at 3 to 4 quart rate per ton of UAN.

TREBLE maintains UAN availability for your crops. Its slow release polymer formula blend hooks the UAN to the soil and releases it during essential stages of plant root development.

Without TREBLE, UAN loses its ammonia at a faster rate after application to the soil. TREBLE mixes with the UAN and holds onto the UAN in the spray process and allows the mixture to hook to the soil. This process reduces nitrogen loss through leaching and keeps the nitrogen longer in the soil.

See the Full Article in Crop Line #60—Use UpGRADE and/or Treble to minimize Nitrogen loss in Late Fall/Winter field applications of Urea, UAN and Anhydrous Ammonium on our website www.atlantic-pacificag.com.

CL #66 Fall Weed Burndown Online Version

 Vol. 8 #6