Tips to Maximize Rice Herbicide Efficacy
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Successful weed control includes a season-long plan and well-timed herbicide applications, whether you’re in south Louisiana, or the dry-seeded fields of northeast Arkansas.
Because rice crop production products are a critical part of the Corteva Agriscience™ brand portfolio, our success in the Mid-South depends on rice farmers, consultants and retailers working together. Our job is to provide programs that provide successful weed control with rotating modes of action.
Experience has taught me it takes several combinations with multiple modes of action to get the job done.
With a diverse portfolio of products, Corteva Agriscience offers herbicides for grass, broadleaf and aquatic weed control. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, and your weed control program should be tailored to fit your weed spectrum and agronomic practices.
The newest product in our lineup is Loyant® herbicide. This product has an excellent fit in both south Louisiana water-seeded systems and the dry-seeded production systems prevalent in Arkansas, Mississippi and the bootheel of Missouri.
Loyant applied at a rate of 1 pint per acre has become the standard aquatic weed control product in south Louisiana for growers battling ducksalad, bull tongue and alligatorweed. It also controls flatsedge (including ALS-resistant flatsedge), northern jointvetch and hemp sesbania (coffeebean). Plus, when properly timed, it has good activity on several grass species, including barnyardgrass.
I’ve seen some good herbicides in my career, but the weed control power of this herbicide has been quite impressive, as it provides broad-spectrum activity on sedges, broadleaves and grasses. As you move north into Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri, Loyant uniquely fits the row-rice, dry-seeded and levee markets where premium broadleaf weed control is required. This is especially true when pigweed control is critical, and Loyant is second to none in controlling this species.
In dry-seeded production systems, grass control is challenging, and premium weed control is critical to getting the rice crop off to a fast start. Residual control is also a necessity if you’re going to have clean fields post-flood.
Corteva Agriscience is very fortunate to have several effective grass herbicides to help you manage grass. Clincher® SF herbicide has been our standard postemergence grass herbicide in this market for many years, providing reliable control. The key to achieving effective grass control is spraying small, actively growing grasses when moisture is available. Many consultants are now recommending Clincher as an early postemergence treatment for optimum results.
Another product appearing on consultants’ recommendation sheets is RebelEX® herbicide, which offers dual modes of action. When applied early postemergence, RebelEX delivers residual activity and effective control of barnyardgrass, coffeebean and smartweed, as well as some sedge activity.
Herbicide resistance can make weed control more challenging, but rotating modes of action with products such as Loyant, Clincher and RebelEX gives you a fighting chance. The challenge begins when seeding begins. As a rule of thumb, foundational weed control in rice begins with a good burndown, preemergence application and well-timed early postemergence applications followed by proper water management.
Good luck as you plan your weed control needs for 2020. As always, we appreciate your support of Corteva Agriscience™ brand crop protection products.
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