NNTC Insights...

Need to Reduce Selection Pressure on Herbicides

No-tillers fighting herbicide resistance with waterhemp, Palmer amaranth or marestail in no-till soybean fields should consider using more soil residual herbicides, maintains Bryan Young. The Purdue University weed scientist says you need to match application timing and length of residual effectiveness to the period of peak emergence for these weeds.

Data from southwestern Illinois fields showed 90% of waterhemp emerged by June 30, while 90% of Palmer amaranth didn’t emerge until sometime in August. As a result, Young says one application of a residual herbicide may not last long enough to control all weed species. 

Should You Soil Sample in the Fall or Spring?

Jimmy and Branson Howard take soil samples in the spring ahead of no-tilling corn ground. The father-and-son team from Mooresville, N.C., prefers to test for fertility when they feel their soils are at their best.

They have found that this is after the heavy no-till residue has had an opportunity to break down over the winter and has…