Agronomist Notes
Another warm week has brought on the springtime itch to get out in the fields. Some producers have started applying Edge, some have cultivated (shame-shame) and I know of one outfit that has barley in the ground, if you can imagine that! (Watch me break out in hives.) A client of mine will begin seeding April 7, if the weather holds but most are targeting an April 20th start date.
I’ve been poking around a few fields and have found that soil temperatures in wheat stubble are around 6 degrees C at one inch and 4.5 degrees C at 2.5 inches at mid-day. Soil temps in canola stubble are 4.5 degrees C at one inch and 1.5 degrees C at 2.5 inches. Stored soil moisture levels in most fields remain at 1 to 2 inches. That amount will get us started and I caution producers to keep soil disturbance at a minimum. That means no unnecessary heavy harrowing and slow down if you’re using wide openers. Moisture conservation is our mantra this spring.
In this issue of Beyond Agronomy News, we’ll discuss this spring’s pre-burn herbicide options and pricing. Next, we’ll look at how to improve pre-burn herbicide performance using water conditioners. Last, I’ve put together a glyphosate chart to help you with mixing and application rates. As always, we’ll finish with fundamental and technical grain market news.
Agronomy
2010 pre-seed herbicide options
With the sudden onset of spring-like weather, I thought I’d provide this year’s list of pre-burn herbicides options a little earlier than normal. I don’t expect many large perennials this spring given the number of pre-harvest acres that were sprayed last fall. However, I do expect more seedling dandelions than normal given the rains last August, which is ideal for germination. Given the weak canola stands last year and increased weed pressure, I suspect canola stubble may have higher weed pressure this spring.
The two newest products on the market are PrePare by Arysta and Heat by BASF. I will list the advantages of both later on. As always, I feel it necessary to comment on the number of pre-burn herbicides that include Group 2 chemistry. That concerns me given the number of Group 2 resistant weeds we have like cleavers, chickweed, annual sow-thistle, stinkweed and kochia. I encourage you to scout your fields and be aware of weed escapes so you don't develop resistance. Be sure to include Group 4’s, 6's and 14's in your pre-seed burn-off as part of your herbicide resistance program.
Here is a list of your 2010 pre-burn options:
The price and rate of glyphosate is based on a 540 gm/L applied at 335 ml/ac (½ L/ac equivalent) at $7.20 per litre.
½ L glyphosate: $2.40/ac, Group 9
Crops: all crops
Target weeds: stinkweed, wild mustard, volunteer LL and CF canola, flixweed <3" tall, shepherd's-purse, cleavers, volunteer wheat, barley and wild oats 3-leaf or less
Residual: zero
½ L glyphosate plus 200 ml/ac 2,4-D Ester LV 700: $3.65/ac, Group 9, 4
Crops: wheat, barley, rye
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: flixweed <6" tall, RR canola, wild buckwheat and kochia <2" tall
Residual: zero
½ L glyphosate plus 200 ml/ac Buctril M: $4.60/ac, Group 9, 4, 6
Crops: all cereals, corn, flax, forage grasses
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: improved wild buckwheat control and RR canola
Residual: zero
½ L glyphosate plus Express SG: $5.90/ac, Group 9, 2
Crops: wheat, barley, dry beans, faba beans, lupins, oats, peas
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: RR canola, narrow-leaved hawk’s beard, wild buckwheat and dandelion <6" across
Residual: zero
½ L glyphosate plus Express Pro: $6.45/ac, Group 9, 2
Crops: wheat and barley
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: improved toadflax and dandelion <6" across control with 15 days of residual activity on dandelion, narrow-leaved hawk's beard and volunteer canola
Residual: 14 days
PrePass: $5.75/ac, Group 9, 2
Crops: wheat and barley
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: improved control of winter annual cleavers <4 whorls, flixweed, narrow-leaved hawk’s beard and dandelion <6" across. Two weeks of residual activity on volunteer canola, flixweed, shepherd's purse, narrow-leafed hawk’s beard, stinkweed, wild buckwheat >5 leaves.
Residual: 14 days
CleanStart: $5.75, Group 9, 14
Crops: canola, peas, flax, lentils, mustard
Target weeds: over and above glyphosate: kochia, flixweed, volunteer canola up to 3-leaf, seedling dandelion and narrow-leaved hawk’s beard
Residual: zero
NEW ½ L glyphosate plus Heat: $6.30/ac, Group 9, 14
Crops: barley, oats, wheat, canaryseed, corn, chickpeas, peas, lentils, soybeans
Target weeds: seedling dandelions <6” across, flixweed, kochia <6” tall, lamb’s quarters, narrow-leaved hawk’s beard <3” across, redroot pigweed, round-leaf mallow, stinkweed, RR, LL, CF canola <8-leaf, wild buckwheat <10-leaf, wild mustard, winter and annual cleavers <4 whorl.
Residual: 7 days
NEW PrePare: $12.00/ac, Group 2, 9
Crops: spring wheat
Target weeds: target weeds: Over and above glyphosate only: wild oats and green foxtail.
Residual: 10 to 14 days on wild oats and longer with green foxtail.
Steve's notes:
I've been a big fan of PrePass to control flushing RR and LL canola and wild buckwheat. Express Pro from DuPont offers another solution for extended control of dandelion, RR and LL canola with a little extra heat on toadflax. I've seen results from both products and find them very comparable.
When using CleanStart or glyphosate plus Buctril M, be sure to keep your water rates up to 7.5 gallons/ac to ensure adequate coverage. Buctril M and the carfentrazone component of CleanStart are contact herbicides that work better with increased spray volume. Also, to ensure optimum activity, avoid spraying these products during cold mornings (ideally, the warmer the temperature the better).
The new product Heat from BASF looks promising as the price is comparable with other glyphosate additives like Express Pro, Express and PrePass. It does not offer the same length of residual control like PrePass or Express Pro but it does get you away from a Group 2 herbicide and into a Group 14. If you have any questions about product options for your spring herbicide program, please feel free to reply to this email. Good luck out there! SL
Optimizing pre-burn weed control this spring
Pre-burn herbicide timing is the worst possible time of year to ask any herbicide to perform well. Conditions in late April and early May are often cold, windy, and frosty with low daylight hours. This can lead to poor herbicide performance and many producers tend to increase their glyphosate rates to improve uptake. Unfortunately, the poor performance can be linked to poor water quality and not just weather conditions. The two most undetected problems associated with poor pre-burn herbicide performance are pH and hard water.
Did you know that on average, up to one third of your glyphosate or sulphonylurea (Express, Express Pro) can be tied up in the spray water before you even apply the herbicide? This is alarming, but of course the severity depends on how hard your water is. That being said, how many producers know how hard their water is? Here’s the chemistry behind the problem: Glyphosate and sulfonylurea molecules are negatively charged and are naturally attracted to positively charged cations like potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc and sodium. Once the herbicide attaches to a cation, it becomes insoluble and can no longer be taken up by the plant.
The next hindrance to herbicide uptake is the pH of the spray water. High pH in the spray water can cause alkaline hydrolysis which breaks down the active ingredient in the herbicide. In high pH water, it may take only a few minutes to lose a significant amount of active ingredient. Unfortunately, most of our town and well water has a pH of 7 or above. To reduce the effects of alkaline hydrolysis, maintain a spray solution pH between 5 and 6.5.
There are a couple of ways to reduce water hardness and balance pH in your spray water. The first is by adding ammonium sulphate (AMS). The ammonium component of AMS is positively charged and competes against other cations to attach itself to glyphosate. The resulting ammonium-glyphosate molecule is easily absorbed into the plant because the plant sees it as a nitrogen source. In addition, AMS has an acidifying effect and helps to drop the pH in the spray solution. The downside to AMS is that it only ties up one cation and that’s calcium. It doesn’t tie up any other cations, it just competes against them so a portion of your glyphosate may still become tied up with potassium, magnesium and sodium.
To calculate how much AMS you need follow this formula:
Amount of AMS Liquid (8-0-0-9) (Litres per 100 gallons of water) = [0.009 × (ppm calcium) + 0.005 × (ppm sodium) + 0.002 × (ppm potassium) + 0.014 × (ppm magnesium)] × 1.2 (Conversion of US to Imp Gallons)
Another option is water conditioner like pHix by Omex and BB5 by NutriAg. These products contain negatively charged ions that bind to the cations which normally tie up glyphosate in the spray water. I prefer these products over AMS because they tie up the cations that cause hard water instead of trying to compete against them. Second, conditioners often contain surfactants that help improve plant uptake by reducing the surface tension of the water droplet so it lays flat on the leaf surface. This provides more area for the herbicide to enter the plant. Last, conditioners also have a pH adjuster to help bring the pH into the optimal 5 to 6.5 pH range.
The cost of ammonium sulphate can run you $1 an acre or more and like I mentioned before, don’t tie up all the cations that attach themselves to glyphosate and sulphonylureas. Water conditioners like pHix http://engageagro.com/uploads/brochures/phixivm_brochure_english.pdf and BB5 http://www.nutriag.com/products/pdf/bb5_bookmark.pdf cost around $0.50 acre. Both products do a great job and BB5 turns the water pink so you know when you’ve dropped the pH to the desired level. So, before you head out this spring, have your water tested and be sure you’re getting the most out of your herbicide dollar. The additional $0.50 acre could give you a 3:1 return on your investment and improve performance so you don’t have to spend extra money on in-crop herbicides trying to kill the same weeds you targeted before seeding.
2010 Glyphosate Products
The number of glyphosate products grows larger each year. Glyphosate tank mixes, compatibility and application rates can get confusing. For this reason, I’ve put together this handy list for you to print off and keep in the water truck to avoid any mishaps this spring.
| Salt Formulation | Company | Glyphosate Acid Content | 1L Equivalent |
| Isopropylamine Salt | |||
| GlyphosCanola | Cheminova | 360 g/L | 1L |
| Vantage Plus Max | DAS | 480 g/L | 750mL |
| Maverick II | DAS | 480 g/L | 750mL |
| Cheminova | Cheminova | 356 g/L | 1L |
| Credit | NuFarm | 356 g/L | 1L |
| Credit 45 | NuFarm | 450 g/L | 1L |
| ClearOut 41 Plus | CPT | 480 g/L | 750mL |
| Sharpshooter Plus | UAP | 360 g/L | 1L |
| Pre-Pass | DAS | 360 g/L | 1L |
| Potassium Salt | |||
| RoundUp WeatherMax | Monsanto | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| RoundUp Transorb HC | Monsanto | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| RoundUp Ultra2 | Monsanto | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| Renegade HC | Monsanto | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| R/T 540 | Monsanto | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| Factor 540 | IPCO | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| Startup | Viterra | 540 g/L | 670mL |
| Touchdown Total | Syngenta | 500 g/L | 720mL |
| Diamethylamine Salt | |||
| Vantage Plus Max II | DAS | 480 g/L | 750mL |
| Maverick III | DAS | 480 g/L | 750mL |
Rules of thumb:
- If you decide to mix different glyphosates together be sure to stick to glyphosates of the same salt formulations.
- Mixing isopropylamine salt and potassium salt formulations will lead to a higher potential for dislocation, which can result in salting or settling out.
- Under no circumstances should two concentrated formulations be mixed prior to adding to the spray tank.
- If you have to change salt formulations and you have a couple hundred gallons left in the tank, fill the tank up with water to 3/4's and then add the next brand of glyphosate. This should help reduce any incompatibility issues. SL
Market News
Technical Analysis
Canola: May futures. The short term trend is up and the long term trend is down.
HRS Wheat: May futures. The long and short term trends are down.
Corn: May futures. The short and the long term trends are down.
Soybeans: May futures. Short term trend is up and long term trend is down.
Canadian Dollar: March futures. Long and short term trends are up.
US Dollar Index: June futures. The long term trend is up. The short term trend looks toppy.
Crude Oil: April futures. Long term trend is up. Short term is up and looks toppy.
