Growers in 2019 faced a variety of weed issues, due to ample moisture and prevented planting.
An agronomy manager for Pioneer offers tips and tricks for combating weeds in 2020.
Dan Berning, agronomy manager for Pioneer, says, ?2019 is going down as a benchmark year,? due to the unique environment and different stresses crops were subjected to.
?(We) started off cool and wet early, so a lot of growers were not able to put down their pre-plant herbicide programs (and) not all of their fertilizer applications,” Berning said. “(It) put them in the corner of having to put that on later in the season (and) in a lot of cases, dealing with a little more weed pressure than they were faced with at the time of herbicide applications.?
Growers could see enhanced weed pressure in 2020, due to this past year?s challenges.
?It could be a little higher than normal due to more weed escapes that came up late in the season,” Berning said. “Some fields were dealing with issues, whether it was flooding or prevented plant. Keeping weeds under control in those situations can be challenging.”
Berning makes note of one of the best programs for controlling weeds, from a biological stance, which may prove useful in the upcoming season.
?When we can go in with a good pre-emerge program – get them before they start to emerge – and then follow it up with a post- application and get the ones that might break through that early, pre- program we have out there,? Berning said.
Berning also recommends you contact your local Pioneer sales representative and Corteva Agriscience crop protection team when building plans for 2020. Both sets of people can offer product suggestions tailored to your weed situation in individual fields.
