10/27/08 Clearfield wheat issues

Farm and Ranch October 27, 2008 The Clearfield wheat system has been in use for several years now so it was rather surprising that issues with Clearfield wheat were a popular discussion topic at several grower and Extension meetings in Oregon this fall. Andy Hulting, Oregon State University Extension Weed Specialist penned an article for a newsletter with input from OSU's Carol Mallory-Smith, Alejandro Perez Jones and Sandy Mcnab called "All Things Clearfield Wheat" that's gotten lots of attention. Hulting says there were several reports this year of inconsistent control of jointed goat grass, feral rye and downy brome with imazamox in Clearfield wheat. He says poor control is likely due to timing of application or environmental conditions at the time of or soon after application rather than any resistance to imazamox. Hulting: "In all of our research conducted at OSU over the years we have noticed that imazamox performs better when it is not extremely wet or dry and when the temperature after application is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit we see better activity with imazamox." Environmental conditions that can reduce the efficacy of imazamox are on the label so Hulting says poor weed control because of such conditions shouldn't have come as a surprise. He knows it can be difficult to get work done but it pays to pay attention to weather forecasts. Another Clearfield issue; jointed goat grass and wheat hybridization. That story tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.