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EARLY BURNDOWN CONSIDERATIONS

03/06/2017
EARLY BURNDOWN CONSIDERATIONS

Early Burndown Considerations

  • Warm winter has resulted in tall winter annual weeds
  • Early burndown applications provide an opportunity to manage winter annuals before they become very difficult to control
  • Adding a residual to a burndown has value, but shouldn't be the only application for summer annual weed control

It feels very much like spring and many field operations are taking place.  While anhydrous applications and spreading of dry fertilizer are important, let's not forget the importance of timely herbicide burndowns.

 The warm winter has allowed our winter annual weeds to germinate and flourish.  Winter survival of these weeds was very good, and in many cases, continued growth occurred through the entire winter season.  This has resulted in fields full on winter annuals that are further along in their growth cycle than normal.  This means that there may be a great benefit to early burndown opportunities.

An early burndown application should ensure that we get control of our winter annual weeds before they increase in size to a point where they get much more difficult to manage.  When thinking about our herbicide options, make sure that we are using multiple effective sites of action.  Another consideration would be the air temperature needed for good management of emerged winter annuals.  Burndown herbicides are much more consistent if the nighttime temperatures stay well above freezing.

Another consideration with early burndown activities would have to be the use of residual herbicides.  The use of a residual herbicide at this point in the season would provide value by minimizing the number of winter annuals that may emerge prior to planting.  This may be a good option for growers who have a seedbank that contains a large number of winter annuals.  Even with a residual herbicide, an additional burndown may be necessary prior to planting.

Lastly, it is important to note that any residual herbicide we apply now should not be the only residual herbicide that should be used prior to planting.  We are nearly two months away from "normal" soybean planting time.  An additional residual herbicide should be applied closer to planting to provide adequate control of our summer annual weeds like waterhemp.

Contact your FS Crop Specialist for your agronomic needs. 

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