With the first hint of spring-like weather in the air, the countdown is on to getting your next crop in the ground. But first, let’s plan on getting early season weeds out of the way that are warming up in the soil, waiting to get a jumpstart on the growing season.
And when the weather cooperates, getting rid of weeds with a pre-seed burndown is one of the best crop production strategies. Weeds are easier to control at this stage, and your emerging crop will get a stronger start that will lead to better yields at the end of the season.
The case for pre-seed burndown
- Eliminate weed competition for emerging crops so they can get a clean start – especially important to crops like soybeans that aren’t as competitive and perform better when they emerge in weed-free conditions.
- Pre-seed burndown is the ideal time to control small weeds and fall-germinated winter annuals that have a head start on spring
- When you control weeds early, it helps reduce the chances of more weed seed production throughout the growing season in the crop
- Managing weeds when they are small reduces the risk of spraying when they are outside their ideal window of application
Make it a multiple mode of action plan
If you’re still using glyphosate alone, make this the year to bring in a multiple mode of action plan for your pre-seed burndown. Weeds are smart and quick to adapt to herbicides with repeated use. If you are only using a single mode of action, weeds can develop resistance much faster…after as few as five applications.
Resistance management is a big driver behind the growing push for using herbicides with multiple modes of actions. And that’s why Nufarm has built its pre-seed burndown lineup for Eastern and Western Canada on products with multiple modes of action to be tank mixed with glyphosate to ensure multiple chemistries in one spray pass.
Want to know more? Ask a Nufarmer at 1.800.686.5444, visit Nufarm.ca and follow us @NufarmCA.
