Designing a Comprehensive and Effective Weed Control Program Approach in Small Grains
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In the sport of boxing, a combination punch is often effective in the scope of technical skill and strategy. In production agriculture, that same type of strategy can return benefits when farmers take a herbicide program approach for cereal grains that includes pre- and post-herbicide applications.
From mitigating herbicide resistance to environmental stewardship, there are many elements that should be considered that can help lead to more-effective weed control all season and bring benefits to you and your return on investment years down the road.
What a Program Approach Should Include
An effective cereal grain herbicide plan should start with a good burndown to give emerging grains the best opportunity to take up water and essential nutrients instead of competing for them against encroaching broadleaf weeds and grasses.
After evaluating the success of the burndown (or tillage) and its impact on early season weed control, you most likely will determine a preemergence herbicide application will be needed to control tough weeds like herbicide-resistant kochia, waterhemp, marestail (horseweed), and other broadleaf weeds or grasses found across the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and northern Plains.
Look back at your previous year’s scouting reports to identify what broadleaf weeds and/or grasses were the most problematic. Did any of them go to seed and increase the weed seedbank this year? If so, take every step needed to prevent that in 2025.
Look at the herbicide rates that were used on the weeds last year, remembering which modes of action (groups) were used. Continue to strengthen your stewardship of effective herbicides by rotating modes of action at every opportunity.
Once the crop is up, be vigilant. Protect the investment you have made with a postemergence application to extend your commitment to start clean and stay clean. Scout often and look for escapes to prevent a weed flush weeks later.
Take Advantage of New Products
Many farmers tend to not invest in some technologies, especially machinery, the first year they become available on the market. But weed resistance continues to be a concern. So, when it comes to herbicides, the more modes of action a farmer can rotate in a herbicide program, the longer those products might be around for future use.
It is not often farmers get a new herbicide product that can make an immediate and positive impact on weed control across cereal acres. But this year, cereal farmers in the PNW and northern Plains are readily embracing Tolvera® herbicide and the active ingredient new to the cereals market that it brings — tolpyralate (a Group 27).
Field-tested and proven to provide effective broadleaf and grass weed control in spring and winter wheat, durum and barley, Tolvera herbicide holsters two modes of action. In addition to tolpyralate, Tolvera herbicide includes bromoxynil, a Group 6 photosynthesis ll inhibitor. Check out this fact sheet about Tolvera herbicide for additional information.
With a nine-month plant-back to most major crops, Tolvera herbicide gives growers the freedom to rotate to the crop that best improves their profitability potential. It also provides tank-mix flexibility to address local weed spectrum needs.
To keep in stride with the advantages of a program approach once cereal grains get a solid stand, you may want to apply Rezuvant® herbicide with ArylexTM active or OpenSky® herbicide postemergence.
Rezuvant herbicide can be applied from two-leaf flag emergence on both spring and winter wheat as well as barley. Tank-mix-friendly with many other products to reduce trips across the field, Rezuvant herbicide is rainfast in one hour.
A broad-spectrum product, OpenSky® herbicide extends cereal farmers’ rotational freedom to high-value crops while strengthening their flexibility by allowing them to adjust application timing based on workload, equipment availability, and unpredictable weather conditions. OpenSky® herbicide also combines Group 2 and Group 4 chemistries for greater broadleaf weed and grass control.
Never underestimate the benefits of a program approach to weed management. A program approach will support your Integrated Pest Management efforts by allowing for more strategic and targeted use of herbicides to minimize impact on the environment.
Log on to Corteva.us/Tolvera or visit with your Corteva Agriscience sales representative to learn more about Tolvera herbicide and the entire portfolio of Corteva Agriscience crop protection cereal solutions.
OpenSky®, Rezuvant® and Tolvera® are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Arylex® is a registered active ingredient. Always read and follow label directions.
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