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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #104980
Title: WEED SUPPRESSION FOR WEED MANAGEMENT IN CORN AND SOYBEAN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Author
item ALM, DAVID - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item WAX, LOYD
item STOLLER, EDWARD

Submitted to: Weed Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/20/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Producers spend over $20 per acre for herbicides to control weeds on more than 95% of acres of corn and soybean in the corn belt. There is valid public concern about off-site movement of some of these herbicides to water supplies. This contamination would be reduced if herbicide inputs could be reduced. We conducted experiments at Urbana, IL, over a three-year period to compare the efficacy and economic viability of reduced herbicide inputs and/or delayed planting in corn and soybean weed management systems. The low-rate treatment (reduced herbicide input) that was applied to suppress weeds consisted of the sulfonylureas nicosulfuron and thifensulfuron at 2 gm per acre, 1/8 the normal use rate. The low-rate treatments that did not completely control or kill weeds was economically viable all three years in soybean, but only in one year in corn. Delaying planting by 2.5 weeks was economically viable for both crops only one year. This information is useful to private and public personnel that develop and recommend weed management systems for these crops.

Technical Abstract: A three-year study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and economic viability of reducing herbicide inputs by using a very low application (1/8 normal label) rate of nicosulfuron + thifensulfuron and/or delayed planting. This low-rate sulfonylurea treatment, assigned the cost of $5 per A, provided enough weed suppression to make the treatment economically viable for soybean production in all three years of the study but only in the wettest year for corn production. The delayed planting treatment was economically competitive for both crops under chisel plowed conditions in the driest year.