Farmers could take a lesson from Mohammed Ali; he who floated like a butterfly one moment and stung like a bee the next to keep his opponents off balance.
Weeds, too, can be kept on the defensive by constantly rotating crops, seeding dates and herbicides.
About 1,100 producers at the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation direct seeding conference Feb. 12 heard this lesson from a panel of researchers and farmers.
“If you only rely on one or two strategies the weeds adapt very quickly to whatever you throw at them,” said Eric Johnson, an agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in North Battleford.
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“You’ve got to try to keep changing systems in order that you don’t select for particular weeds. If you strictly rely on herbicides, really, you’ll lose the battle.”
Reduces weeds, disease
Garry Thiel, a farmer from Shellbrook, Sask., said rotation is important on his farm.
“The most significant weed control measure is rotation. Not only does crop rotation reduce disease problems but it also exerts different pressure on weeds,” he said.
He doesn’t follow a strict rotation, but tries to match crops with weed problems and usually puts a broadleaf crop between cereals.
Also seeding dates are varied.
“For example, if we seed the home quarter first this year, then next year we may seed it halfway through the seeding season or maybe seed it last,” he said.
He also plants fall-seeded crops to completely change the environment.
Terry Fletcher, a farmer from Conquest in central Saskatchewan, said he’s found that by switching to zero till, he can seed earlier than he used to and crops establish faster than weeds.
“A good crop is always a good competitor,” Fletcher said.
Some producers worry the increased straw residue left on zero-till fields will prevent fields from warming in spring, but Fletcher has found that tall stubble catches an insulating blanket of snow that prevents frost buildup in the soil.
