With the 1999 planting season right around the corner, no-tillers are finalizing no-till weed control strategies. And with many new compounds coming on the market, it’s no easy task.

During the seventh annual National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis, Mo., technical representatives from American Cyanamid, Monsanto and Zeneca Ag Products shared information on their weed control products with many of the 660 attendees.

Monsanto

“When you’re using Roundup Ready soybeans, you can apply Roundup all the way through the full-flowering of the crop, even into late July,” says Phillip Boeve, a Monsanto market development representative from Lafayette, Ind.

“There are no carry-over or crop restrictions. Since it’s a contact herbicide, it only kills what it touches. It doesn’t accumulate in the soil.”

The contact aspect of Roundup, Boeve says, makes it environment friendly, by eliminating most herbicide run-off into lakes and streams. But being earth-conscious is only one aspect of this product.

“There is no need for tankmixes as Roundup kills over 100 kinds of weeds,” he says.

“Start clean with a burndown of Roundup. Your weed size determines the rate. Just check the label to give you the rate you need.”

Boeve further explains that no-tilling is ideal for any type of herbicide program, attributing the key factors to narrower rows and canopy closure.

“Use that canopy to suppress the weed population,” he says. “Weeds don’t germinate in the dark. Narrow rows help produce that canopy quicker.”

For Midwest and Mid-Atlantic no-tillers, Boeve recommends 32 ounces on 4- to…