Tips for Controlling Corn Weeds

In a time of continuing concern about weed resistance, corn farmers are always on the lookout for a combination of solutions to ensure they achieve the best weed control they can. Nathaniel Quinn, AMVAC Marketing Manager for corn, soybeans, and sugar beets, says retailers and farmers alike top concerns are how to deal with herbicide resistant weeds.

"One of the big things among resistant weeds was the express concern of waterhemp, and not only to glyphosate but also due to that weed’s early development signs of resistance to several different chemistries. Another resistant problem we'd identified was giant ragweed mare tail, Palmer and kochia. So, of all of these weed’s resistance was just top of mind, and in particular how growers were going to go and deal with that resistance this year.”

Quinn says to battle tough to control or resistant weeds, it’s important to implement a two-pass herbicide program.

“Today, about 77 percent of the corn acreage is treated with two-pass herbicide programs. In recommending such programs, retailer cite foremost the need to ensure effective control of resistant weeds and most often using multiple modes of action and layered residual herbicides. So, whether a grower uses a one-pass program or two-pass program, the critical point is to get the chemistry on early, to have multiple effective mode of action, and be ready to have an additional shot of herbicide to control additional flushes that may present themselves.”