Last fall may seem like a lifetime ago, but many of you will remember it was a tough one for late season weed control. Many acres didn’t get any fall weed control and that makes this spring’s weed control plans even more important.
If you are growing lentils this year, there is a great opportunity to get early season and extended control of hard-to-control weeds like kochia, volunteer canola, chickweed, seedling dandelions, lamb’s-quarters and pigweed with a spring application of ValteraTM EZ.
Valtera EZ is a pre-emergent, soil applied herbicide that removes early season weeds that compete with young crops for nutrients, water and sunshine. It’s a great fit with lentils (large green and small red varieties). You can apply Valtera EZ in the spring as soon as the top two inches of the soil have thawed, and up to seven days before seeding the crop.
After applying Valtera EZ, soil moisture activates the herbicide, and the weeds have to germinate and grow through the layer of Valtera EZ to start the process of photosynthesis. But when the weeds emerge, their roots are squeezed off. It’s like pinching off a piece of straw so the plant can no longer take in nutrients and it dies (see the photo below).
Here are five application tips for Valtera EZ before lentils this spring.
- Apply Valtera EZ with a minimum of 10 gallons of water per acre for good coverage and the best results.
- Valtera EZ alone will not kill emerged weeds that germinated last fall or earlier this spring. Tank-mix a pre-seed herbicide like GoldWing®, along with glyphosate, for a clean start that includes emerged weeds.
- Spray a minimum of seven days prior to seeding small red or large green lentil varieties into minimum to zero-tillage situations.
- Lentils should be seeded a minimum of 2.5 cm (1”) deep to maximize crop safety.
- Leave a small check strip to clearly see the results you get with Valtera EZ.
Valtera EZ can also be applied before seeding other crops: up to three days after seeding peas and chickpeas, up to seven days before seeding spring wheat, and 30 days before seeding durum wheat.
Stay safe through this busy season. And if you have any questions about Valtera EZ this spring, call Nufarm at 1.800.868.5444 or contact your local Nufarm territory manager.
