Top Corn Herbicide Solutions for 2023
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When’s the best time of year to apply corn herbicides? The inquiry sparks an age-old debate, but many farmers consider it a trick question. That’s because applying herbicides at multiple points of the growing cycle supports a program approach to weed control that provides a variety of benefits to corn farmers. These benefits include better field management, enhanced in-season control and flexible application windows. However, not all herbicides are created equal, and knowing which solutions to use for optimum crop protection can make a world of difference.
Selecting the Right Products for Your Program
While single-pass herbicide applications may be cost-effective in the short-term, application timing and product selection can lead to the following issues with this one-off approach to annual weed control:
- Weed seedbank accumulation is more likely.
- Dry conditions following application can impede performance.
- Delayed applications allow early emerging weeds to compete with crops and reduce yield.
Given these risks, single-pass weed control solutions are only recommended for fields that are low in weed density or diversity and generally lack targeted species with fluctuating emergence patterns. In all other cases, two-pass weed control programs that include multiple modes of action should be used to improve productivity, application flexibility and annual yield.
Considerations for a 2-pass Weed Control Program
The two-pass approach to weed control complements a clean burndown to start the year with effective pre- and postemergence herbicides that deliver residual activity for sustainable results. The following herbicide products and application-timing recommendations can strengthen two-pass weed control programs for corn farmers working to improve their annual yield potential.
The 2-pass Approach for Corn
Kicking off the year with a clean burndown ensures cornfields are ready to plant and enhances the performance of postemergence herbicide applications later in the year. The following chemistries from Corteva Agriscience can provide optimum results from 28 days before planting until initial plant emergence:
- Resicore® XL herbicide controls more than 75 broadleaf and grass weeds with increased crop safety and flexibility on corn up to 24 inches tall. Resicore XL includes three effective modes of action and is compatible with a variety of tank-mix partners, including micronutrients, atrazine, glyphosate and other corn herbicides.
- SureStart® II herbicide controls more than 60 broadleaf weeds and grasses, including marestail; common and giant ragweed; waterhemp; pigweed; and glyphosate-, triazine- or ALS-resistant weeds.
- Keystone® NXT herbicide consistently controls foxtail, barnyardgrass, crabgrass, waterhemp, pigweed, lambsquarters and nightshades with only ¼ inch of rain required for activation.
- FulTime® NXT herbicide delivers time-released control of foxtail, black nightshade, waterhemp and other problem weeds in no-till, reduced tillage and fields with heavy residue.
- Surpass® NXT herbicide provides early season residual control of common grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds.
Enhancing Postemergence Control
To maximize weed control after planting, consider a postemergence application of new Kyro™ herbicide. Kyro is the first corn herbicide to combine the three proven modes of action of acetochlor, clopyralid and topramezone in a single premix for both postemergence and residual control of more than 65 of the toughest broadleaf and grass weeds.
The strong in-season postemergence activity of Kyro complements your existing preemergence corn herbicides, making it a perfect fit in to a two-pass program approach with the other Corteva Agriscience™ corn herbicides listed above.
Corteva Agriscience corn herbicides offer dependability and application flexibility to deal with the unexpected. View and download your copy of the program approach here.
Not sure which herbicide products best fit your needs? That’s OK. You can find additional product guidance and support through Corteva.us or your local retailer. With the right plan and program-enhancing solutions on your side, 2023 could be your best year yet. Let’s get growing.
FulTime® NXT, Keystone® LA NXT and Keystone NXT are Restricted Use Pesticides. FulTime NXT, Keystone LA NXT, Kyro™, Realm® Q, Resicore®, Resicore XL, SureStart® II and Surpass® NXT are not registered for sale or use in all states. Keystone NXT is not available for sale, distribution or use in all states. FulTime NXT, Keystone LA NXT, Kyro, Resicore, Resicore XL, SureStart II and Surpass NXT are not available for sale, distribution or use in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the state of New York. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.
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