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| Protecting Your Corn From Weeds | May 28, 2009, 11:43 am | visits: 53 | wordcount: 500
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By Matthew Kepnes
Weeds are often present in corn fields that are lacking in pre-emergence herbicide. If weeds are present, it's likely that the cause could be attributed to weather constraints, and it is important to control weeds in order to protect the corn yields. In areas such as Louisiana, the farmers are burdened with overwhelming weed control problems. Their yields have slipped due to weeds and they are facing losses. Many fields have excessive amount of weeds and no amount of herbicide can get a good yield. This has been a cause for concern for most corn growers, who are afraid to lose their crops. The most difficult part is that weeds grow very rapidly, and removal methods don't prove to be helpful. They grow again even before a corn plant has the change to thrive.
The term critical period is utilized to determine for how long the weeds will be allowed to compete with the crop till the corn gets damaged. To obtain maximum yield, all weeds must be removed before they reach the critical period. Timely weed management to protect the corn plants is a fundamental feature for all crop growers and is majorly undertaken to maximize the corn yield potential. Killing the weeds is an essential step to achieve the goal of weed management.
If any weeds grow within the patch, hoe between the rows. Make sure you don't hoe too deep or you may damage the stalks and roots. You can also spread mulch around the base to control the weeds and help to conserve the moisture. The concern for timely weed management in order to protect your corn yield becomes crucial in the post emergence herbicide corn systems. Most research universities recommend the use of herbicides in the earlier pre plant and pre-emergence period as an excellent option to reduce weed management risks. One important result of soil applied herbicides is that they promote good plant posture by reducing the pressure applied by the weeds.
Toxic fungi affecting corn is another issue that agriculture researchers are taking seriously. If a bacterium is found then it'll be a boon for farmers to protect their corn against weeds and other pests. Corn growers can sigh of relief now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved Balance Flexx herbicide from Bayer CropScience. These chemicals help farmers control over 50 varieties of weeds. This protects corn from weeds. These herbicides eliminate kochia, wooly cup grass, and other more resilient weeds, while still providing excellent crop safety. It also works through the roots and shoots of weeds to provide exceptional burn down and enduring control.
A 100% weed control is the ultimate goal of a soil applied herbicide treatment. The weeds that are generally targeted include giant foxtail, woolly cup grass, small seeded annual broadleaf weeds, and giant ragweed. Similar to the pests that attack and ruin the corn, the presence of weeds is very unpleasant. You must do everything you can to prevent these pests that will harm the yield of your corn.
Matt has been growing corn for years and finds it an easy but time consuming crop to grow. For more information on growing corn, check out his website for corn growing tips and about how to fertilize corn plants.
Source:www.isnare.com | |
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