Pre-emergent Herbicides for Weed Management

With the onset of herbicide-resistant weeds, it is even more important to use new and effective approaches to weed control.  Gone are the days of spraying glyphosate alone and expecting perfect weed control.  It is now vital to use additional modes of action to control resistant weeds.  Rotational programs that include multiple modes of action are improving growers’ control of resistant and hard-to- control weed species.  Pre-emergent herbicides are the perfect way to use an additional mode of action to control weeds before they emerge.

Pre-emergent herbicides work best in a tank mix, depending on the weed spectrum present. Pre-emergent herbicides are soil applied and work in the top couple inches of the soil to either prevent weeds from emerging or by killing them shortly after they sprout.  It is important for pre-emergent herbicides to be incorporated into the soil profile.  This is usually performed by irrigation or in a permanent cropping system timed prior to a rain event.  The last couple years of drought and lack of rain events has made it tough to time correctly.  When pre-emergent herbicides are applied, Grounded®,  an adjuvant designed to improve deposition, efficacy and absorption of soil-applied herbicides, can improve weedcontrol by keeping pre-emergent herbicides in the weed germination zone.

-Don Paradise, Western Division Product Manager