Liberty Link Revises Label To Allow Rate Increase

Jul 14, 2017

By Amit Jhala - Extension Weed Management Specialist

Liberty (glufosinate ammonium: 24.5%) is a contact, broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicide for weed control in Liberty Link corn and soybean and a corn hybrid stack with glyphosate and Liberty tolerance. A recent update in the Liberty label will provide an opportunity to apply Liberty at higher rates in Liberty Link corn and Liberty Link soybean.

Six weeds in Nebraska are resistant to glyphosate. Liberty Link corn/soybean is an additional tool for control of such glyphosate-resistant weeds. Using diverse weed management tools is important to the control of herbicide-resistant weeds and to avoiding the further evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds.

Liberty can be applied from emergence up to V6 growth stage in Liberty Link corn and from emergence to R1 growth stage in Liberty Link soybean.

Table 1. Information about Liberty application in Liberty Link corn and Liberty Link soybean

LIBERTY APPLICATION DIRECTION	LIBERTY LINK CORN	LIBERTY LINK SOYBEAN
APPLICATION WINDOW	Emergence up to V6	Emergence up to bloom or R1 growth stage
APPLICATION RATE	32 fl oz/acre; a second application can be applied at 32 fl oz/acre; additional application of 22 fl oz/acre can be made	32 to 43 fl oz/acre; a second application can be applied at 32 to 43 fl oz/acre up to a yearly maximum of 87 fl oz/acre
CUMULATIVE MAXIMUM PER YEAR	87 fl oz/acre	87 fl oz/acre
ADJUVANTS	Ammonium sulfate at 1.5 to 3 lb/acre	Ammonium sulfate at 1.5 to 3 lb/acre
SPRAY VOLUME	15 GPA minimum; if large weeds or unfavorable growing conditions are present, increase water volume to a minimum of 20 GPA.	15 GPA minimum; if large weeds or unfavorable growing conditions are present, increase water volume to a minimum of 20 GPA.
NOZZLE SPRAY QUALITY	Medium to coarse nozzles	Medium to coarse nozzles
RAINFAST	4 hours	4 hours

The Bottom Line

The new increased application rate of Liberty can help effectively control weeds in Liberty Link corn/soybean.
Do not rely only on Liberty for weed control in Liberty Link corn/soybean.
It is important to apply pre-emergence herbicides with multiple effective modes of action within three days of planting Liberty Link corn or soybean. Pre-emergence, residual herbicides labeled for Roundup Ready corn or soybean can be applied in Liberty Link corn/soybean (Figure 1).
Do NOT apply Liberty in Roundup Ready corn or Roundup Ready soybean or Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean (Figure 2a and 2b).
Liberty is a contact herbicide; therefore, target applications to when weeds are less than 5 inches tall. Applying Liberty when weeds are too tall (more than 8 inches) will result in regrowth.
If used according to label directions, the Liberty Link system can provide excellent control of glyphosate-resistant and hard-to-control weeds.

Figure 2a and b. Unintended application of Liberty in Roundup Ready corn. Remember that Liberty should be applied only in Liberty Link corn or Liberty Link soybean for post-emergence weed control.

Source: unl.edu