Georgia Soybeans: 4 Steps for Resistant Pigweed Management

On occasion, someone might come up to me and randomly say something like “When are you going to figure out how to control pigweed in soybeans?” When I hear that, it makes me think about what planet that person has been living on the last few years.

As far as I am concerned, Georgia soybean growers have had all the tools needed to control herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth since day one. The problem has been getting folks to do what UGA has recommended. Check out the following picture from some of my soybean plots taken earlier this morning.

1. The soybeans in the picture without any pigweed were managed the following way: Started clean.
2. 2 residual herbicides (1 PRE + 1 POST).  For RR soybeans, I prefer Boundary or Dual Magnum or Warrant – PRE followed by Roundup + Reflex or Prefix (Reflex + Dual Magnum) – POST.  In 2016 , a new formulation of Warrant + Reflex (Warrant Ultra) will be available for those growers who prefer Warrant over Dual (FYI, I do not have  preference!!!!).
3. POST applications were timely (24 DAP).
4. This particular soybean field was under grown under a center-pivot.  It is very unlikely that dryland soybean growers will be able to achieve optimum weed control on a consistent basis when relying on rainfall for the activation of residual herbicides. That is one of the biggest perils of dryland farming.