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Weeds

The following articles are categorized as 'Weeds'

• Fall weed control: Use products that won’t damage canola in 2012

  Growers in Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan in particular have some very weedy fields after a wet June kept them off the fields for timely herbicide application. The weed photos below were taken this week on a farm in western Manitoba. Growers will want to consider post-harvest herbicide to clean up fields that are planned for canola in 2012. Here are the steps.

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• Do’s and don’ts of desiccation

  Variable stages and late crops are leading to questions about drying down green material to facilitate harvest. Fields with variable stages need to be scouted carefully to determine which stage will contribute most to overall yield. If later stages represent a significant portion of the plant population, then killing the crop before they are mature (through either swathing or a chemical application) will mean sacrificing a significant portion of the yield potential of the field, in addition to possible downgrading from increased levels of green or damaged seed. Keep in mind

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• Apply pre-harvest glyphosate only after seed moisture drops below 30%

  Growers considering a pre-harvest glyphosate cannot apply it to canola (RR or non-RR) until seed moisture drops to 30% or lower. This roughly coincides with 30% seed colour change. Spraying earlier raises the potential for glyphosate residue in seed.

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• Pay attention to pre-harvest intervals

  The pre-harvest interval is the number of days that must pass between the last application of a pesticide and cutting of the crop. Cutting is either swathing or straight cutting.

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• How to destroy volunteer canola stands

  Volunteer canola in the field at this point is a weed that could dramatically impact your canola crops in the future. It may be infected with blackleg or sclerotinia, adding additional inoculum to the field to infect subsequent crops. And it could potentially add thousands of viable seeds and resulting plants that you will need to control in the future.

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• Help for volunteer canola management

  Growers can significantly reduce their volunteer canola seedbank by reducing losses at harvest. Canola losses at harvest can be up to 5 bushels per acre, which is 50 times the typical seeding rate. The Combine Clinic July 18 and 19 (pick one day) in Westlock, Alta., will explain how to reduce harvest losses, putting more yield in the combine tank and reducing the volunteer canola seed bank. Click here to register.

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• Volunteer canola control in an unseeded field

  Volunteer canola that is done flowering will have already produced a large amount of viable seed. Unfortunately, controlling plants at this stage of growth will do little to reduce the viability of those seeds.

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• What is the goal with a late herbicide spray?

  Herbicide labels say that glyphosate and Odyssey cannot be applied to canola after the 6-leaf stage and Liberty cannot be applied after early bolting. These limits are in place to ensure effective product performance and crop safety. Later applications can lead to reduced weed control due to advanced weed staging and reduced herbicide contact with the weeds through the increased canola canopy closure. Late applications can also sometimes cause canola buds to abort, increasing the potential for permanent yield loss.

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• Weed control window closing

  Label application windows:
  Glyphosate: Anytime up to and including the 6-leaf stage of canola.
  Liberty: Cotyledon stage up to the early bolting stage of canola.
  Odyssey/Absolute: 2- to 6-leaf stage of canola.

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• Water stress reduces herbicide tolerance and nutrient uptake

  Water stress can make canola more susceptible to herbicide damage. Damage can be enough to kill plants under extreme stress. Resist the temptation to increase herbicide rates if the crop is under stress.

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