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On November 03, 2019

To Evaluate Late Season Weed Control

As temperatures get colder, some people are wondering if it is too late to control weeds, especially perennials. Extension Agronomist Dwight Ligenfelter explains, in the fall, foliar applied herbicides can be effective if the plants are green and appear healthy. For best activity, apply herbicides when daytime temperatures are above 50 F and nighttime temperatures are above 40 F for several days during application time. Do not apply herbicides immediately after a frost. 

Some research from Iowa State University and The Ohio State University indicates the following: many perennial and biennial weeds can still be effectively killed after a few hard frosts. Research with quackgrass and glyphosate found greater translocation of the herbicide after the first frost than before frost. Plants having a prostrate growth habit such as the biennial musk or bull thistle will be more tolerant of frost since they are protected somewhat by heat released by the soil. With most plants it is possible to determine whether the foliage has been severely affected by frosts, thus scouting the field prior to application is important to ensure that active foliage is still present. Regarding quackgrass and Canada thistle regrowth after harvest, if these weeds are greater than 8 inches in height, then an application of glyphosate may provide good control of the above and below ground plant parts.  If temperatures drop below 28 F at night for more than 4 hours, then these plants may die, and an herbicide application may not be effective. Quackgrass can handle colder temperatures than Canada thistle.  

If warm temperatures (greater than 65 F) return for several days and the plants appear to be growing, then an herbicide treatment may still be effective. Fall is the best time to control dandelions; while both fall and early spring are the good times to control winter annuals. In fallow fields, a combination of glyphosate plus 2,4-D ester is fairly effective for control of most winter annual weeds and dandelion. Application of 2,4-D alone controls many winter annual weeds, but 2,4-D will not control chickweed and is less effective on dandelion than when in tank mixture with other herbicides. (Also, if you have a pure stand cereal rye cover crop that has broadleaf winter annual and/or perennial weeds, 2,4-D ±dicamba can be applied to control these weeds either now or in the early spring.) 

As we move into late November, foliar herbicide effectiveness decreases, and the inclusion of a residual herbicide may be desirable in corn or soybean rotations. If you include a residual herbicide, research over the last several years has shown that any chlorimuron-containing product (Canopy EX, Blend, etc.) is at the top of the list for soybeans and simazine is one of the better products for corn. Other products that have had some success include Valor for soybean and Basis Blend for corn. In general, 2,4-D should be tank-mixed with any residual product. Also, when applying systemic herbicides this late in the year, make sure to include adjuvant such as AMS and/or crop oil concentrate/methylated seed oil to insure adequate uptake of the herbicide. Note that if you are applying systemic herbicides with these spray additives in a cereal rye cover, crop injury may occur. 

To Test Your Soil For Nematodes Which Impact 

This is the time of the year when potentially damaging nematodes have reached the highest population levels. Plant parasitic nematodes that feed on soybean roots include lance, sting, lesion, root knot, and soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Yield losses caused by SCN are greater than losses caused by any other pathogen in the United States.

Soybean cyst nematode was found in Lancaster County in 2002 and it has been reported in 8 counties along the Pennsylvania border. Once the nematode is established in a field, it becomes difficult to manage because it survives in the soil for many years in the absence of a host, has high reproduction rates, and spreads through anything that moves soil and infected plant parts (flood water, tractor wheels, wind, humans, and animals). In addition, the nematode has overcome the most common resistance traits available in soybean varieties. 

Free testing for SCN and plant parasitic nematodes across PA will continue to be offered through the fall of 2019 thanks to the collective effort of Penn State Extension, the SCN Coalition, and the PA Soybean Board.  You can request a nematode soil sample bag from your local Penn State Extension Agronomy Educator. The soil bags contain sampling instructions, a bag label that needs to be filled out, and a field history form that must be returned along with the soil sample for processing.

What do you do once you have collected the samples? One option is to mail the sample to Dr. Dilooshi Weerasooriya, Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, 211 Buckhout Lab. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Phone: 814-863-4798. Another option is to drop off the soil samples at the Agricultural Analytical Services Lab (111 Ag Analytical Services Lab, University Park, PA 16802) from Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 4:30 pm. Phone: 814-863-0841.

In the case that SCN is found, we will be working with farmers to select the most appropriate management practices that best fit their operations.  

Any questions? Please feel free to contact Adriana Murillo-Williams at axm1119@psu.edu, 814-355-4897.

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