EDMONTON – Ken Sapsford says weed control has never been more challenging, nor have producers had better tools to deal with unwanted plants.
The plant science researcher from the University of Saskatchewan told producers attending the Farm Tech Conference in Edmonton last month that new herbicides and more awareness of weed control strategies are helping producers reduce crop losses due to weeds.
“We’ve got several new products out there this season. They have the potential to help with some of our existing issues. But it really comes down to using all the products we have available strategically,” he said.
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Sapsford said resistance to Group 2 herbicide in weeds such as kochia has created problems for some growers. For pea and chickpea producers, kochia and wild buckwheat can be tough to control.
They might find some help with a new product from FMC called Authority, or sulfentrazone. Sapsford said it is Group 14 and has been awaiting approval for this spring.
“This is a soil-applied product. Put on with a glyphosate as a preseason burnoff. Needs a rain within a few weeks after application, but it provides season-long control of wild buckwheat, Group 2 kochia, lamb’s quarters, red root pigweed, but it’s weak on wild mustard and will kill lentils,” he said.
“Assume nothing with this product and do what the label says and you should be very happy with its performance.”
He said recropping the following year hasn’t been an issue for cereals, but crops such as canola should be avoided on sulfentrazone-treated ground and be planted according to label recommendations.
Application rates vary with this product, depending on the amount of organic matter in the soil and the soil structure.
Bayer Cropscience’s Infinity, which is a combination of pyrasulfotole, a Group 27 herbicide, and bromoxynil, a Group 6, can control a wide range of weeds in all wheat, barley and triticale.
Applied in-crop from the first leaf through to the still rolled flag leaf stage, the mix is effective against sow thistle, chickweed, cleavers, flixweed, lamb’s quarters, redroot pigweed, Russian thistle, shepherd’s purse, stinkweed, canola of all types, wild buckwheat and wild mustard. It is also effective against kochia and while not specifically on the label, Sapsford said it works on Group 2-resistant biotypes as well.
Aim, or carfentrazone-ethyl, from FMC, is a new Group 14 herbicide that is combined with glyphosate to provide an effective Round-up Ready plant volunteer, spring burn-off product.
It is a tank mix partner for glyphosate from Monsanto and Nufarm. As a co-packed product of Aim EC and Nufarm’s Credit Plus, it is known as Cleanstart Plus.
“Cleanstart may be too fast for (later stage) weeds. Two to three leaf stage canola control is good, but four to five leaf is too late. Follow the label on plant staging. If the weeds are too far along you might only kill the tops off and find the weed regrowing,” Sapsford said.
“It is very aggressive for early season use and the combination will clean off fields effectively, but weed staging is critical.”
Simplicity, or pyroxsulam, from Dow is registered on durum, spring wheat, winter rye and triticale for in-crop application at the three to six leaf stages.
The product is a Group 2 that provides low soil residues and is effective on wild oats, Japanese brome, downy brome and yellow foxtail and it suppresses green foxtail barley.
It provides weed control on most common broadleaf weeds including herbicide-tolerant canola, except Clearfield varieties.
Sapsford said a new BASF Group 14 herbicide is expected to be announced this spring.
“These new products are giving producers options for herbicide-resistant weeds,” he said.
Bayer and Syngenta have recently released an Infinity and Horizon iPak tank mix that adds Horizon’s wild oats and green foxtail control to the broadleaf kill provided by Infinity.
Horizon was already a popular mix with a wide variety of other products.
