Making The Right Decision After Drought

Get the most out of your cereal herbicide in 2022

When navigating unexpectedly dry conditions, farmers must manage weeds effectively to maximize crop yield. Warm season grassy weeds like green and yellow foxtail flourished under the heat and reduced crop competition during the 2021 Western Canadian drought. Proliferation of these weeds deserves special consideration and planning as a new season approaches.

Kelly Patzer, Agronomic Operations Manager at Bayer, outlined two key considerations for you to keep in mind when deciding on a weed management strategy for 2022: why application timing is more important than ever in 2022, and how to identify the best in-season herbicide treatment for your field.

Figure 1. Stunted wheat due to drought conditions.

In the Rearview Mirror

Establishing what key weeds of concern flourished and set seed in 2021 will aid in decision-making for 2022. Green foxtail is a leading weed of concern across the prairie provinces that thrives in warm, dry climates and across fields with an open canopy. This species was especially prevalent across many parts of Western Canada in 2021.

Choosing the Right Option

As a result of the 2021 drought, a significant seed load of green foxtail is coming into the 2022 crop year. Green foxtail establishes relatively well, even under drier-than-normal conditions. As a small-seeded weed that germinates from shallow depths, even a limited amount of spring or summer moisture will germinate green foxtail and establish significant populations in cereal crops this year.

Identifying the right graminicide for your field is an essential component of an effective weed management strategy. While higher-than-normal populations of green foxtail are probable, Patzer emphasizes it is essential that other key weeds of concern, including wild oats, Persian darnel and barnyard grass, as well as dicot weed species also be considered. The cereal graminicide herbicide portfolio from Bayer, which includes Cirray™, Velocity m3, Varro®, Olympus®, Puma® Advance and Tundra®, offers comprehensive protection from grass weeds to maximize yield potential.

Cirray herbicide, the newest addition to the Bayer cereal herbicide portfolio, stands apart from other Group 1 solutions currently in market thanks to the trusted wild oat control from pinoxaden combined with the exceptional green and yellow foxtail control from fenoxaprop. Cirray doesn’t require the addition of an adjuvant for application, streamlining farm usage and providing an opportunity for tank mixing with a wide range of cereal broadleaf herbicides such as Infinity® FX, Buctril® M and Stellar™ for complete coverage.

Sources: Bayer Crop Science Internal Trials (Innisfail, Ab. 2012)
Your results may vary according to agronomic, environmental and pest pressure variables.

Timing is Everything

Identifying the best time to apply in-season herbicides is crucial to maximizing weed control and cereal crop yields. Early weed control during the critical weed-free period of the crop is essential to preserving yield. Under drought conditions, a pre-seeding burn-off application with Roundup® significantly increases yield potential by removing early germinating weeds. For later-emerging weeds like green foxtail, using a highly effective in-crop herbicide with flexible application timing can make the difference for successful full-spectrum weed control.

The broad grass spectrum/dicot tank mixture flexibility and wide application window for Cirray, (which begins as early as the one leaf stage up to six leaves on the main stem plus three tillers), provides farmers flexibility to apply as needed over a wide range of crop staging and weed species. Adaptability is key – the opportunity to apply herbicide at the optimum timing for full spectrum weed control can mean the difference between a carpet of uncontrolled green foxtail at harvest or a clean field with maximum yield potential.

The BayerValue^™ program continues in 2022 offering farmers the ability to bundle their herbicide of choice alongside their seed treatment and fungicide options, strengthening their total crop solution strategy and ensuring each farmer will receive the maximum discount possible. Farmers are encouraged to talk to their local Bayer representative and retailer to learn more.

Spend a bit of extra time finding out which integrated weed management solution is right for your farm, and get back to what you love. See our full cereal herbicide lineup at GetBackToWhatYouLove.ca

Cropscience.bayer.ca | 1-855-754-0143 | | | @Bayer4CropsCA | #AskBayerCrop

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Bayer, Bayer Cross, BayerValue^™, Buctril^®, Cirray^™, Infinity^®, Puma^®, Roundup^®, Tundra^® and Varro® are trademarks of Bayer Group. Used under license. Velocity^™ is a trademark of Bayer Group or its licensor. Used Under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Bayer CropScience Inc. is a member of CropLife Canada. ©2022 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.