You may remember my article last fall in regards to seizing the moment and controlling the fleabane in your harvested fields prior to winter settling in.  Some may have taken the advice and others may have decided to wait until this spring to do so.  The options I presented in the fall are still the best course of action now.

  1. Tillage – Many do not utilize tillage in my immediate area, but this is a sure fire way to manage these rosettes. A shallow tillage will work well since the tap roots are also shallow. A more aggressive tillage may be required if the rosettes are larger, however, option 2 maybe a better fit at that point. 
  2. Herbicide Control – You can control these rosettes by simply spraying them if you practice no-till.  When deciding to spray these rosettes, we must be cautious because of cross-resistance to glyphosate and group 2 herbicides.  We need to be selective when choosing our herbicides.  In cereal crops, Infinity® and Refine® can be used this spring on your wheat crop. In soybeans, you have pre-plant products such as: Eragon®, Integrity® or 2,4-D Ester 500EC.  In corn, the options are Integrity®, Banvel II® and Marksman®. 

No matter what, you need to be scouting your fields for these rosettes. Knowledge is everything when it comes to trying to control these weeds.  If you do not take the time and walk your fields now, these weeds may escape and be present on a larger scale within your crop at a time when control options are very limited.

If you need any help in identifying these weeds, contact your Maizex representative.  We will be glad to walk a field with you!

Chuck Belanger, Maizex Seeds Yield Specialist, North Essex and South Chatham-Kent Counties
Twitter: @sprayman63