Evaluation of weed control options for soybean in SW North Dakota at Hettinger, 2024.
(Research Report, Hettinger REC, December 2024)A trial was conducted near Hettinger, ND to evaluate weed control options for soybean. Soybean were planted on May 20, 2024, into wheat stubble using a no-till planter at a depth of 1.5 inches at a seeding rate of 110,000 seeds/A. Soybean emerged on June 3. One weeks prior to planting, the entire plot area was treated with glyphosate (Roundup PowerMax) plus carfentrazone (Aim EC) to control emerged weeds. Treatments were applied either at planting (preemergence, PRE), after emergence of soybean at the V1 growth stage (early postemergence, EPOST), at the V2 soybean growth stage (postemergence, POST), or at the R1 growth stage (late postemergence LPOST) (Table 2). Weed control was evaluated at 5 and 8 weeks after the PRE treatment timing (WAT), with the 8 WAT evaluation occurring 1 weeks after the LPOST application. Weed evaluated in this trial included kochia, common lambsquarters, green foxtail, wild oat, and barnyardgrass. Herbicides applied at the PRE timing contain active ingredients that are active in the soil on seedling weeds. Herbicides applied at all postemergence timings were primarily foliar active on controlling emerged weeds. At 5 WAT, only PRE and EPOST treatments had been applied. At this evaluation, the only PRE treatment that resulted in good kochia control (89-91%) was Authority MTZ (sulfentrazone plus metribuzin). All others controlled kochia at 69-76%. Common lambsquarters was controlled at 88-100% by metribuzin, Authority MTZ, and Authority Supreme (sulfentrazone plus pyroxasulfone). Green foxtail and barnyardgrass were controlled 89-96% by Authority MTZ, Zidua (pyroxasulfone), and Authority Supreme. No PRE treatment provided good control of wild oat. EPOST treatments evaluated at this time included glyphosate, Liberty (glufosinate), glyphosate plus Xtendimax (dicamba), and Zalo (glufosinate plus quizalofop). For kochia control, products containing glufosinate provided better control that glyphosate. Glyphosate controlled wild oat better than glufosinate containing products.
At 8 WAT, the POST application of glyphosate improved weed control compared with PRE herbicides alone in nearly all cases. The best overall control occurred with sequential applications of Zalo (EPOST and LPOST), and with Authority MTZ (PRE) followed by glyphosate (POST). Plant stands and heights were not affected by herbicide treatments. The entire trial was treated with glyphosate two weeks after the LPOST timing to control weeds not controlled by earlier applications. Soybean yield was affected by drought conditions that occurred in July and August. Yields were very low and not commercially viable. However, the same two treatments have the best overall weed control 8 WAT also had the highest soybean yield. It would be interesting to evaluate these same treatments under better rainfall conditions. These herbicides show the importance of using multiple applications for weed control and not relying on a single herbicide or mode of action for weed control in soybean.