b'industry folks are acknowledging that instituting chemical control alone cannot be a long term weed control solution.More people are getting on board with the idea that to preserve herbicides, additional methods of weed control should be used, specifically those that cant be poured out of the jug, he says.In addition, its important to recognize that some herbicides are effective only on weeds that have not yet emerged while others are only effective postemergence.Employing other tactics that target these life stages, as well as other lifeKevin Gesse.stages like the weed seedbank and the ability of large plants to produce or dis-perse viable seed, will extend the useful life of herbicides, Williams says.Alternative ApproachesAs resistance to herbicides such as glyphosate have increased over the last 10 years, growers have looked to inte-grate numerous weed control practices to control weeds in their crops, says Kevin Gesse, head of product marketing for herbicides for Syngenta. Integrated practices include the useMartin Williams.Matthew Richmond.of residual herbicides containing active ingredients with multiple modes of action for weed resistance management. ground, by reducing the number of ger- Richmond believes this strategy will Numerous other mechanical, culturalminated weeds that can come up throughlikely continue to have a big impact as and chemical practices are also beingthat cover crop residue, Richmond says. multi-stack technologies hit the market used to prevent weeds from successfullyAnother technique is to reduce rowthat allow multiple modes of action to producing seed, from high tech see andspacing to get early canopy closure,be applied at the same time, increasing spray equipment to attachments thatespecially to target late emerging weeds. overall efficacy and control.destroy seeds during harvest.Jha says getting that early canopyThe industry is also working to Preventing weed seed bank prolifera- closure can show a 30-40% reduction inimprove the accuracy of herbicide appli-tion is one of the most important aspectspigweed density, so now if you are apply- cation, an additional layer of conservation.of a sustainable weed control plan toing an herbicide, youre seeing reducedAs an example, see and spray tech-prevent future weed populations fromnumbers of weeds at the time of applica- nology is rapidly emerging and could becoming unmanageable, Gesse says. tion and a smaller size of weeds. change how herbicides are applied.Cover crops are also gaining in popu- This technology only applies herbi-larity as more growers experiment withAdvancing Application cide to actively growing weeds instead this cost-effective method. Leaning too heavily on one element ofof a widescale broadcast application, We see growers experimenting withcertain weed control tools can lead toRichmond says. But this technology is direct seeding right into a cover crop, andbreakdown, Vincent says. new and has a higher initial cost than when they do that, they crimp and kill theBASFs Operation Weed Eradication isbroadcast application. It has yet to be mat of green foliage, but that coveragebuilt on sound agronomic practices whichwidely adopted in the broad acre row blocks weed seed germination, said Mattinclude the following foundational pillarscrop market. Richmond, agronomist for Wilbur-Ellis.of cultural and mechanical practices,Farmers are also facing herbicide Any weeds that can emerge through effective seed trait selection and chemicalshortages and supply delays, another cover crop coverage could be sprayed bycontrol, and eradication diligence. reason that having an integrated weed a herbicide later in the season. On the seed side, herbicide tolerantmanagement plan is important for the That means lower rates, fewer passescrops have driven the trends for weedfuture of the industry so precision appli-and less total pounds of herbicides on themanagement over the last decade.cation may become more necessary. 46/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2022'