Weeds: Pre-seed burndown scenarios

With a late harvest in many fields last fall, growers may have missed the opportunity for fall weed control. That could mean higher levels of winter annuals and perennials this spring. The delayed harvest could also mean higher amounts of volunteer canola seeds. This could be a big year for volunteer canola.

For these reasons, growers may want to choose a residual pre-seed herbicide in non-canola crops to get those volunteers. Fields at highest risk of canola volunteers may also benefit from a rotation crop such a cereal that provides a broad array of in-crop control options.

If cleavers are actively growing early on fields planned for canola, growers have one new product for this year. Clomazone (Command 360ME) is now registered for pre-seed use, and it has activity on cleavers. It also leaves no residue, so there isn’t an MRL issue.

For unharvested acres: Note that weed control cannot occur until after spring harvest is complete. Sprays cannot be applied to canola swaths.

Further reading:

How early is too early for weed spraying?