8/16/2019

Advanced Weed Control With Quelex® Herbicide

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The introduction of Quelex® herbicide in 2016 was welcome news for wheat growers who had long been waiting for a new herbicide option in the battle to curb weed resistance. With two modes of action, including Arylex active — the first member of a new chemical family of Group 4 herbicides — in combination with florasulam, Quelex is an effective herbicide resistance management option.

“A new chemistry in the wheat market really hadn’t taken place in several years,” says Jared Jones, retail agronomist with Mid-Kansas Co-op, Inman, Kansas. “A lot of the fields in this area have been wheat on wheat for several years and we’ve also been utilizing the same chemistry for several years in a row. Quelex brings a much-anticipated new mode of action and a different chemical out there — something to break up repetitive use — so that we don’t have more chemical resistance show up in the future.”

Three Important Benefits — One Effective Product

In addition to the welcome fit of Quelex as an effective weed resistance management tool, it provides advanced broadleaf weed control, including weeds resistant to ALS and glyphosate. For growers who value rotational flexibility, Quelex combines outstanding weed control and keeps rotation options open. With Quelex® herbicide, growers can keep wheat fields clean while maintaining rotational freedom to capitalize on market opportunities or simply to break the wheat-on-wheat cycle.

“One of the first things we look for in a new chemistry is flexibility in rotation,” Jones says. “With a lot more leeway to go to alternative crops and cover crops, I think Quelex has been exciting for the farmers. We got a lot of Quelex out this year and we’ve evaluated it and it looks really good.”

Oklahoma wheat farmer Brandon Bush decided to do his own in-field performance trial using Quelex by intentionally shutting off the sprayer for one pass through the field.

“I wanted to test it myself,” Bush says. “I wanted to find out if what everyone was telling us about Quelex was true, so we left a test strip in one of our fields. It’s very easy to spot. You can spot it from the field. You can spot it from the road. Right next to the unsprayed strip, there are no weeds, while in the spot where I turned the boom off is pretty much all marestail. Quelex took care of weeds that have been a problem for us for the last six, seven or so years.”

Rotational flexibility also is a consideration for growers further north in the Dakotas where canola is often planted as a rotational crop on wheat acres.

“There aren’t many wheat herbicides that allow for rotation to conventional winter canola immediately following the wheat crop,” says Joe Yenish, field scientist for Corteva Agriscience. “Quelex offers advanced broadleaf weed control and the flexibility to rotate to winter canola. Today’s marketplace requires flexibility and keeping cropping options open, and Quelex gives growers that freedom.” 

Quelex® is a low-use-rate herbicide that can be applied in fall or spring without concern that warm or cold temperatures will affect weed control. It can be tank-mix-compatible with other herbicides, such as PowerFlex® HL herbicide, for cross-spectrum control, and with UAN in cost-effective weed-and-feed programs.

For more information, contact your ag retailer or Corteva Agriscience sales representative, or read more about Quelex herbicide.