Weed management strategies in soybean pre-planting desiccation

When we talk about desiccation management, a not so distant scenario takes us back to the time when this procedure was carried out mechanically, with a plow and harrow and, simultaneously, the use of products that worked together.

Over time, chemical desiccation became a guaranteed alternative and glyphosate, used for this function, was also a control tool for post-emergence of weeds. With the increase in resistance of weeds, strategies had to be changed and producers need new tools to control weeds. Likewise, glyphosate is no longer capable of solving the weed problem on its own.

Still on the topic of glyphosate, of the 10 plants with the greatest resistance to the active ingredient, seven are present in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. Among these, horseweed and bittergrass are the most problematic and cause the greatest damage. Currently, after five to seven days, significant losses due to weed competition are already noticed. As an example, two to three bittergrass plants per m² can cause a loss of 50 to 60% in productivity.

The success of management, however, depends on some factors. The climate influences a lot (and water stress can be a very important factor in failure), as does the application technology, the doses of active ingredients, the incidence of winds, the size of the weeds.

The key to desiccation is good planning. The best desiccation system is a well-planned one that starts in autumn, when the plants are not so large and have not experienced prolonged water stress.

The most relevant points for planning include:

• Appropriate climatic conditions: rainfall with a volume of at least 15mm helps the results of managing both horseweed and bittergrass.

• Choose products that control wide leaves and narrow leaves equally.

• Use of products that do not have antagonism in their action.

• Guarantee that there is no residual from management for soybean planting.

Weed control before sowing is very important and the sequential system, with two applications during desiccation, presents good results when introducing systemic products in the first one. As a characteristic of action, they move more and take larger plants, to control and guarantee a stronger effect upon arrival. In the second application, the indication is for a contact product, with little translocation, to complement what was done in the first round.

As a protagonist in the action of managing weeds in desiccation, ADAMA makes available to producers the herbicide Araddo, a highly efficient combination for the management of bitter grass, crow's foot grass and horseweed, among others, which arrives as a complete solution for the management of broad leaves and grasses in the desiccation of soybean, corn and wheat crops.

Horseweed, an important weed in southern Brazil, is also advancing to the Cerrado. Bittergrass and crow's foot grass are resistant to glyphosate and are rapidly advancing throughout all of Brazil's main agricultural regions. The simultaneous occurrence of these three weeds - present in more than 20 million hectares of soybeans - often leads to the combined application of graminicides and auxinics. With an exclusive and patented formulation, Araddo herbicide highly effectively controls both grasses and broadleaf weeds without antagonistic effects.

Furthermore, another major difference in the Araddo herbicide formulation refers to the safety for the producer of planting after application. In this way, Araddo opens a new segment where there is no restriction on the interval between application and soybean sowing.

With Araddo, we have a complete solution for the management of herbs resistant to glyphosate and with stable results in different conditions. Furthermore, as it is presented as a ready-made mixture, it is easy to apply and saves time for the producer.

Araddo is another solution brought by ADAMA as part of a robust portfolio focused on the needs of farmers. Increasingly, the company has been concerned with the challenges that farmers face, listening to them actively and genuinely, seeking to understand their needs and experiences and delivering what the farmer wants. Listening, understanding and delivering are the words that reflect the essence of ADAMA's work, which recently launched its new global subscription: Listen > Learn > Deliver.

João Ibelli Neto, Product Manager at Adama