Proactive Use of Corn Pre-emergence Herbicides

With the continued aggressive growth of herbicide-resistant weeds across the United States, weed scientists assert that an integrated approach of multiple best management practices (BMPs) is the best way to prevent tough-to-manage and resistant weeds from going to seed and contributing to the weed seed bank.

Zero tolerance is the new standard for managing the spread of prolific resistant weed species, such as waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and marestail.

One key element of an integrated approach, which is gaining ground with growers, is the planned, proactive use of a pre-emergence, residual herbicide program to get fields off to a clean start and control the spread of resistance. Growers and researchers alike are discovering the economic and crop-yield benefits of adding pre-emergence, residual herbicides to a crop management integrated approach.

Start with a Clean Field

First and foremost, growers should start with a clean field at planting, agronomists say. Fields full of weeds at planting rob seedlings of the full advantage of sun, soil, water and nutrients, which are critical for establishing a good stand. In addition, when a grower runs a planter through a weedy field, often the weeds become damaged and are more difficult to control with subsequent herbicide applications.

Use a Pre-emergence Herbicide

To help keep fields clean throughout the growing season, start with a pre-emergence herbicide like TriVolt^™ and tank mix with herbicides like Roundup PowerMAX^® 3 or Laudis^®. Scout fields closely as seedlings emerge. If you don’t treat weeds such as Palmer amaranth (also known as Palmer pigweed) and waterhemp at 2 to 3 inches, it will be tough to control them with post-emergence herbicides. TriVolt provides superior control of emerged weeds, the power of reactivation and residual control that lasts up to eight weeks to take out early weeds and keep them away all season long.

Assume the Resistant Seeds Are Already There

Growers should implement multiple weed management strategies with the assumption that resistant seeds exist in the soil seedbank. A strategy of using pre-plant and pre-emergence residual herbicides containing multiple effective, overlapping modes of action can produce better yields compared to approaches that use only post-emergence applications. In fact, controlling weeds early in the season can greatly reduce the impact of weed competition. Several studies show that 12-inch weeds in corn could cause up to 22 percent yield loss when left uncontrolled¹.

When choosing a pre-emergence herbicide, be sure to consider the following:

• Labeled length of residual
• Application timing
• Weed control spectrum
• Resistance management
• Crop rotation flexibility

One of the best system approaches utilizes fall or early spring applications, burndown, tank mixes and the treatment of weeds when they are small. In today’s environment, there’s no such thing as an economic threshold for weeds. Zero tolerance for resistant seed in the soil bank should be the goal.

Read More About Managing Weeds

• Corvus Herbicide
• Six Questions to Ask Yourself when Developing Your Weed Control Program
• Identify and Control Broadleaf Weeds

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