Narrow-leaved hawk’s beard continues to swoop into new territories across Canada’s western prairies, robbing yield from crops and leaving farmers with a headache. This winter or spring annual broadleaf weed spreads rapidly in fields thanks to high seed counts and the seed’s short dormancy. If not controlled, narrow-leaved hawk’s beard can outcompete certain crops early in the spring and significantly reduce yield at harvest. It even ranked in the top five biggest weed challenges for farmers according to a Nufarm survey conducted with retailers this fall.
Managing narrow-leaved hawk’s beard
The best times to manage narrow-leaved hawk’s beard are in the spring and fall before the weed begins to bolt. Given the weeds’ high seed count and short seed dormancy, it’s important to keep this weed from spreading. Start with a solid pre-seed burndown program that controls this weed early to prevent seed production later. As the crop gets established, consider any in-crop herbicides that can also assist in managing newly emerging weeds. Consider herbicides with different groups and multiple modes of action to reduce the chances of the weed becoming resistant. The crop canopy will help suppress seed production over the rest of the growing season.
The Nufarm pre-seed burndown portfolio provides excellent activity on narrow-leaved hawk’s beard. BlackHawk®, GoldWing® and ThunderHawk™ offer control of narrow-leaved hawk’s beard while CONQUER® II provides suppression.
Photo Credit: Paul Fuhr. CONQUER mixed with glyphosate suppressing hawk’s beard.
