Weed Management

Photos of the Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp plants at cotyledon stage
(Left) Figure 1. Palmer amaranth cotyledons: long and narrow (Photos by Alfred Stark and Lowell Sandell) (Right) Figure 2. Common waterhemp cotyledons.

How to Differentiate Common Waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth Seedlings

May 16, 2017
Growers should be on the lookout for common waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, which typically start emerging in the first or second week of May in Nebraska.

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Palmer amaranth
Figure 1. This female Palmer amaranth plant can produce up to 0.5 million seeds.

Watch for Palmer Amaranth in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Fields

May 12, 2017
Palmer amaranth has not been confirmed in conservation plantings in Nebraska; however, the identification and occurrence of Palmer amaranth in CRP fields in Iowa has raised concerns among weed scientists and growers about its spread into conservation plantings in Nebraska and offer some suggestions for growers.

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Spraying the New Phenoxy Herbicide Formulations in Xtend and Enlist Soybeans Will Present Challenges

May 11, 2017
The new phenoxy herbicide formulations, including Enlist Duo™ (Dow), XtendiMax® (Monsanto), Engenia™ (BASF), and FeXapan™ (DuPont), offer growers new management options along with new application requirements. To alleviate problems related to applying new phenoxy herbicide formulations in soybeans as well as to increase herbicide performance, manufacturers have established application requirements. Here we discuss some of the key application factors to consider.

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Field with giant ragweed at early treatment stage

Considerations for Managing Herbicide-Resistant Weeds in Soybeans: Spring Burndown

April 28, 2017
One of the challenges with spring burndown application is timing. Wet and windy conditions can delay spraying and under these conditions weeds can grow significantly in a few days. Waiting until planting to spray troublesome weeds such as marestail may be too late to achieve adequate control. In addition, waiting until soybean planting limits the available herbicide options since there are relatively few labeled effective burndown chemicals for spraying at this time. The following section identifies key treatment aspects to consider for several resistant varieties in Nebraska.

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soybean seedling

Timing is Critical with Pre-Emergence Flumioxazin-Based Herbicides in Soybeans

April 26, 2017
Soybean planting has started in Nebraska and it’s time to apply pre-emergence herbicides. Six weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate in Nebraska. The best way to effectively control resistant and other hard-to-control weeds is by applying residual, pre-emergence herbicides with multiple effective modes of action. Several new herbicides recently registered in soybean are in this category and could be considered.

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Postemergence Weed Control in Alfalfa

April 21, 2017

Are you finding weeds in your new alfalfa?  Vigorous weed growth this spring may make it extra tough for your seedlings as weeds reduce growth of new alfalfa by shading and competing for moisture. 

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Field of soybeans
Figure 1. If a fomesafen-based herbicide (Flexstar/ Flexstar GT/ Marvel/Rumble) was applied in soybean in 2016, maintain 10 months of planting interval to corn this year.

Planting Interval of Corn after Previous Year's Soybean Herbicides

April 21, 2017
Corn-soybean is the most common cropping system in eastern Nebraska. While corn growers are getting ready for planting this season, it is important to pay attention to the planting interval of herbicides applied the previous year in soybean. Certain soybean herbicides have relatively longer planting intervals for corn, especially if they are applied post-emergence in soybean. This is particularly important because soybean planting was late last year in much of Nebraska due to May rains. This caused postemergence herbicides to be applied later in the season than they might normally be, making it important that you pay attention to the planting interval.

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Center pivot irrigated soybeans
Management in a successful soybean-after-soybean cropping system may require growers to make some slight adjustments in their practices, including irrigation, seed selection, and pest management.

Planting Soybean after Soybean (Part 2): In-Season Management Considerations

April 13, 2017

In Part 1 of this article, we look at considerations for planting soybean after soybean. In this article, Part 2, we share considerations for in-season management.

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