As winter approaches, any annual broadleaf weeds not controlled by fall or spring burndown are making preparations of their own to start regrowing as temperatures warm: prickly lettuce, narrowleaf hawksbeard, horseweed, false chamomile in much of the region.
Early emerging spring weeds, such as common cocklebur, marshelder, nightshades and common ragweed in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, and kochia in more and more areas, are waiting in the seedbed to pop up and compete with newly planted cereal crops.
That’s why Brian Jenks, weed scientist with North Dakota State University based in Minot, urges growers to scout their fields early to identify the weed spectrum in each field to guide the best control options before the weeds get too large.
“We would really like to see the herbicide application be made no later than four inches for the weed size, preferably three, especially if there's a high weed density or if the plants are drought-stressed.”- Jenks
The right control solution
Spring weed control will usually depend on crop protection products. When it comes to postemergence treatment for weeds in cereals, Jenks says he has worked with products in the Huskie® Family of herbicides from Bayer® for several years with good results.
“Selecting among Huskie®, Huskie® FX and Huskie® Complete herbicides comes down to the weed spectrum in each field, as each product has different utilities,” says Kevin Thorsness, Bayer crop protection technical representative and one of the Cereal Experts with Bayer.
Kochia on the increase
Looking back at the weed history of a field as an adjunct to scouting also helps anticipate upcoming weed challenges, especially coming out of dry years like 2021, which may have set up growers in some parts of the Northern Plains for extra trouble this season.
“Kochia is a major problem because it really likes dry conditions,” Jenks says. “In the last several years, we have been experiencing dry conditions across North Dakota and across the Northern Plains. Kochia really thrives in very dry and saline conditions.” Uncontrolled kochia can grow quite large and hurt crop yield while plugging combines at harvest.
Growers with mild kochia infestations can rely on Huskie herbicide for control, if sprayed when the kochia is three inches tall, because both pyrasulfotole and bromoxynil are active on kochia. “If you've been using Huskie and it's performing very well on kochia, and you're spraying it on small kochia and it's been controlling that at a high level,” Thorsness says, “I would recommend that the grower continue using Huskie in that situation.”
In places where kochia has become a more prevalent weed that a grower needs to control along with other broadleaf weeds, Jenks says In places where kochia has become a more prevalent weed that a grower needs to control along with other broadleaf weeds, Jenks says Huskie® FX “is my first choice, because it has three active ingredients in it with three different modes of action, all with a certain level of activity on kochia. In my trials, Huskie FX has worked as good or better than any other product on kochia.” “is my first choice, because it has three active ingredients in it with three different modes of action, all with a certain level of activity on kochia. In my trials, Huskie FX has worked as good or better than any other product on kochia.”
Bayer trials demonstrate enhanced control of kochia and improved efficacy on broadleaf weeds with Huskie FX
// FIND THE RIGHT HERBICIDE FOR YOUR FIELD
Convenient grass control with Huskie Complete
For cereal fields with broadleaf weeds plus some grass weeds, such as yellow or green foxtail or barnyardgrass, Thorsness says he would recommend a grower use Huskie Complete. “That's going to give him a broad-spectrum, one-pass, convenient product you can add to the spray water and go.”
Jenks says that Huskie Complete, with its Group 2 grass component, thiencarbazone-methyl, has “given us good control of some of these green foxtail and wild oat populations that are resistant to the Group 1 herbicides.”
As with the broadleaf weeds, application timing relative to the size of grassy weeds is important. “We want that application to go out at about the two- to three-leaf wild oat stage or three-leaf to early tiller foxtail stage,” Jenks says. “If we can get it at that point or earlier, we have usually seen very good control with Huskie Complete.”
For more information on controlling weeds in your cereal crops, please contact your local Crop Science representative or visit cerealexperts.com
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields.
Huskie® Complete is a restricted use pesticide. Not all products are registered for use in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state. Huskie® and Roundup® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. For additional product information call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.BayerCropScience.us. Bayer CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63167. ©2022 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.