Time is Now to Start Working on Weed Control

It’s been a warm, dry winter, and that’s creating weed and insect issues at this time of year that aren’t the norm. Jeff Carpenter, Portfolio Manager for Dupont Crop Protection:
 

“Warm weather throughout the Carolinas has led to an early emergence of a lot of different weeds, and certainly those weeds that are getting started now can create a favorable environment for insects, for disease issues, and certainly cause problems during the planting season. And those weeds will obviously compete with the crop for both nutrients and water and sunlight, and potentially reduce yields.”
 

Right now, Carpenter says that time is not on the side of the producer:
 

“I think that growers just need to be more proactive, and look at applying a burndown plus residual herbicide program so that they not only eliminate emerging weeds today, but can keep new weeds from developing before planting season gets started. Early emerging weeds means growers need to act now, so that we prevent those weeds from creating seed banks throughout the field that will be problems for years down the road.
 

Dupont talks about controlling weeds with both a contact and residual herbicide, we’ve introduced a product called Dupont Leadoff that a lot of growers are taking a look at this year. It’s designed to keep fields cleaner longer, and as a result growers can reduce this early competition of weeds and have a plantable seed bed that can get their crops off to a better start when they get corn, soybeans, or cotton planted later this spring.”
 

Dupont offers several products, according to Carpenter that can be used now,
 

“Leadoff for application should actually go on now, it’s designed for pre-plant burndown application anytime in front of corn, it does need to be applied 30 days or more before planting cotton or soybeans. We usually tank mix with Leadoff some 24D and some crop oil; can be applied by air or with a ground rig. It controls henbit, chick weed, Poa annua or bluegrass, mare’s tail, some of the key winter weeds that are coming up now because of the warmer weather that we’re having, earlier than normal.”
 

And then others to be used after planting and throughout the growing season:
 

“Obviously after you get the crop planted it’s good to have another herbicide program to apply either at planting or post-emerg in crop, and there’s a lot of crops that can be choosed from, from Dupont, when we talk about corn, we’ll start with Leadoff, and then follow with an in-crop application with a product called Realm-Q, it’s designed again for contact and residual control to give you excellent grass and broad leaf control on a number of problem weeds.
 

If you plant cotton, we’ll talk about using Staple herbicide, and if you plant soybeans, we’ll talk about using Envive herbicide. But, those are programs that your local retailer can talk to growers about. It’s all about getting the weeds under control today, give you a clean seed bed, and then make an in-crop application and keep those fields clean all the way through harvest.”
 

Portfolio Manager for Dupont Crop Protection, Jeff Carpenter