By Dwight Lingenfelter
Postemergence soybean herbicide applications are starting to happen across the state. The following article addresses some of the key issues.
It seems like growers frequently are trying to wait until they think all the weeds have emerged before they make these applications which can be late or at least less than optimum to maximize yield. We believe it is better to spray a little on the early side than risk later applications and potential yield loss and poor weed control. Assuming you start clean either with a burndown application or tillage, it is important to remove weeds by 5 to 7 weeks after soybean planting which is generally when annual weeds are 6 inches tall or less. If more severe infestations of annuals exist or if perennials are the primary concern, applications may need to be adjusted one way or another by a week or so.
Glyphosate can be applied over the top to Roundup Ready soybeans up to 1.5 lb ae/acre. This is equivalent to 44 fl oz of Roundup PowerMax/WeatherMax, 48 fl oz of Touchdown Total or Durango DMA/Duramax or 64 fl oz of most generic types of glyphosate. You can use up to 66 fl oz of Powermax equivalent in your soybean crop (44 fl oz for corn). Use the higher rates for perennials and large or hard to control annuals. Glyphosate can be applied to RR soybean from emergence through flowering (R2 stage – ends when a pod is 5 mm or 3/16 inch long at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem). Include an appropriate surfactant if the product is not fully loaded and AMS for hard water or when tank mixing. You can tank mix a number of products with glyphosate to broaden the spectrum. Here are some suggestions:
- For volunteer corn, common mixtures would include: Assure II, Targa, Fusilade, Fusion, Select/clethodim, Select Max, and others. Rates will vary by products.
- For increased broadleaf activity and/or for residual control, Classic, Harmony, FirstRate, Pursuit (or Extreme), Raptor, Scepter, and Synchrony can be added.
- Classic and Synchrony added to glyphosate will help provide residual control of burcucumber. Again, rates will vary by product.
- Contact type herbicides such as Cadet, Cobra, Reflex (or Flexstar GT), Storm, and others have been promoted in tank-mixture for improved control of certain glyphosate tolerant or resistant weeds (morningglorry, nightshade, pigweeds, ragweeds, etc.). Be aware that these herbicides can/will cause some leaf burn and also antagonize glyphosate performance on normally susceptible weed species
- Increased rates of glyphosate can help improve perennial weed control. For weeds like pokeweed, be sure the spray boom is above the weeds and use spray tips that maximize coverage.
- Finally, several residual grass herbicides can be tank mixed with glyphosate products. Warrant is one of the newer products containing encapsulated acetochlor. Anthem, Dual, Outlook, and Zidua can be applied post, but only up to the third-trifoliate leaf stage.
Most potential glyphosate tank-mix products should be applied before soybean bloom or have days to harvest restrictions, so check labels for specific recommendations. For those growing conventional soybeans (i.e., non-Roundup Ready or Liberty Link), there are several herbicide options available and many of the herbicides discussed above can be used to control weeds. But keep in mind that in these non-GMO soybean crops: POST broadleaf options are more limited; some soybean injury is typically expected from the herbicides, and perennial weed control can be problematic, in addition is it critical to apply herbicides to annual weeds less than 4 inches tall.