Tailor the Fit to the Field
Something went wrong. Please try again later...
“A lot of farmers are changing plans close to planting time. We are trying to keep their options open.” — Jake Morrison
Every day in farming is different. Herbicide selections change based on the crop in the field, weather, temperature and windows of opportunity for treatment.
“We deal with a lot of rotation scenarios,” says Jake Morrison, sales agronomist with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Walla Walla, Washington. “A lot of farmers are changing plans close to planting. We are trying to keep their options open, and the Corteva Agriscience portfolio of herbicides helps with that.”
One of the options Morrison recommends to his growers is Tarzec® herbicide.
With two active ingredients, Tarzec is a postemergence herbicide that offers control of tough grass and broadleaf weeds, including downy brome, Italian ryegrass and wild oat. It is labeled for use in winter wheat and triticale.
“Tarzec covers everything in the basket, especially Italian ryegrass and downy brome,” Morrison says. “In a spring spray with heavy Group 1 resistance, Tarzec did a really good job. We’re seeing several products not performing as well as it is without dinging up the plant. We have seen a lot of distinct line differentiations in our split trial fields between Tarzec and competing products.”
Timing is critical to herbicide efficacy on these tough-to-control weeds.
“Tarzec provides really good control of Italian ryegrass, and we’ve seen lights-out control of downy brome,” says Mitch King, branch manager at Nutrien Ag Solutions in Walla Walla. “To get this level of control, we need to treat the weed when it’s 3 inches or less and less than 5 leaves.”
For spring weed control, King and Morrison often includes Tarzec in a spring tank mix with additional herbicides, an adjuvant and a plant growth hormone that he says helps the plant better manage temperature fluctuations.
Drastic temperature fluctuations are another consideration when choosing a cereal herbicide.
“Tarzec handles the cold a lot better than some competing products. It is common to see a 50-degree temperature drop in one 12-hour period. That causes a lot of plant stress,” King says.
Dryland production is common in the area, as is crop rotation. A winter wheat-alfalfa rotation is the norm, but other crop rotations such as winter wheat to canola, winter peas, garbanzo beans, green peas, seed corn, alfalfa or sunflower are also in the mix.
Morrison says Starane® herbicide, Tarzec herbicide, PowerFlex® HL herbicide and Pixxaro® EC herbicides are potential weed control options.
“If we need three months before planting our rotational crops, we’ll use one of the Starane formulations (NXT, Ultra or Flex) with metribuzin in the tank. Otherwise, we’ll add in PowerFlex HL or Tarzec if we’ve got bigger cheatgrass (downy brome) in the field,” King says. “The Corteva Agriscience portfolio allows us to prioritize flexibility and crop safety while rotating modes of action.”
No matter what combination of products are tank-mixed, King and Morrison agree their goal is a one-pass spray based on weather and windows of opportunity.
“There’s been a fundamental shift over the past three to five years, and we now put the best products out first to get us where we need to be,” King says. “Three out of the five products almost always in the tank are Corteva Agriscience products – WideARmatch herbicide, Aproach Prima fungicide and Tarzec herbicide.”
Visit CerealHerbicides.corteva.us to discover which cereal herbicide hits the mark for your unique cereal farming operation.
Aproach® Prima, Pixxaro® EC, PowerFlex®, Starane® Flex, Starane NXT, Starane Ultra, Tarzec® and WideARmatch® are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Arylex® is a registered active ingredient. Always read and follow label directions.
The More You Grow
Find expert insights on agronomics, crop protection, farm operations and more.