8-25 FB Weed Spread

 Spread of resistant weeds a bigger threat this year. Difficult weather conditions this spring left many growers with a compressed planting window. As a result - BASF Herbicide Technical Market Manager Dr. Dan Westberg says there is an increased threat of resistant weeds spreading. Because a large number of acres were planted in a short period of time due to wet weather - he says a number of acres were not treated with a pre-emergence herbicide. “Using pre-emergence products at planting or before planting is a real critical tool for managing resistant weeds.  If you are dealing with glyphosate resistance, if you don’t have that tree down it just leaves a lot of opportunity for having escapes and selecting for more resistance if you are only using glyphosate post.

Then there’s the widespread issue of flooding - which Westberg says will spread resistant weed seed. That’s why he encourages growers to monitor their fields and know how weeds are responding this year. Moving into August and September - he says growers should watch for escapes and send seed samples to university experts for screening to determine the status of the weed population. Then Westberg says they can plan accordingly for next season - beginning this fall