Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Strong weed control doesn't end with the burndown. Keeping fields clean through the critical weed-free period requires residual herbicides that continue working long after the sprayer leaves the field.
In this episode of RealAgriculture's Corn School, BASF agronomist Rob Miller demonstrates how stacking multiple herbicide modes of action can extend residual control, protect yield potential, and help manage the growing challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Standing in research plots at BASF's Research Farm in Maryhill, Ont., Miller compares herbicide programs under what he describes as "extreme weed pressure." The differences are easy to see. Four weeks after application, a glyphosate-only treatment had controlled the emerged weeds, but new flushes of lamb's-quarters, pigweed, ragweed, foxtail, and grasses were already competing with the corn.
"We don't have any herbicide-resistant weeds here in this particular situation, but we're starting to see that secondary flush of weeds coming up," says Miller. "These weeds are definitely affecting the yield potential of this crop."
Residual herbicides are designed to prevent those later-emerging weeds from becoming established during the crop's critical weed-free period, when weed competition can have the greatest impact on yield.
Miller says programs that combine multiple modes of action provide more consistent control across a broader range of weed species while also reducing the risk of herbicide resistance.
In the research plots, a three-mode-of-action program delivered strong broadleaf control, although some grass species were beginning to emerge under the heavy weed pressure. A more robust five-mode-of-action program, which Miller describes as a "premium Cadillac program," continued to suppress both broadleaf and grassy weeds four weeks after application.
"That herbicide is keeping those weeds at bay," he says.
Beyond protecting yield this season, Miller notes that effective residual programs also reduce weed pressure in future years by limiting seed production and replenishment of the weed seedbank.
"You've got to do the basics right," he says. "You've got to control those weeds during that critical weed-free stage so that it carries you through."
Website: realagriculture.com
#agriculture #corn #farming #agronomy
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Strong weed control doesn't end with the burndown. Keeping fields clean through the critical weed-free period requires residual herbicides that continue working long after the sprayer leaves the field.
In this episode of RealAgriculture's Corn School, BASF agronomist Rob Miller demonstrates how stacking multiple herbicide modes of action can extend residual control, protect yield potential, and help manage the growing challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Standing in research plots at BASF's Research Farm in Maryhill, Ont., Miller compares herbicide programs under what he describes as "extreme weed pressure." The differences are easy to see. Four weeks after application, a glyphosate-only treatment had controlled the emerged weeds, but new flushes of lamb's-quarters, pigweed, ragweed, foxtail, and grasses were already competing with the corn.
"We don't have any herbicide-resistant weeds here in this particular situation, but we're starting to see that secondary flush of weeds coming up," says Miller. "These weeds are definitely affecting the yield potential of this crop."
Residual herbicides are designed to prevent those later-emerging weeds from becoming established during the crop's critical weed-free period, when weed competition can have the greatest impact on yield.
Miller says programs that combine multiple modes of action provide more consistent control across a broader range of weed species while also reducing the risk of herbicide resistance.
In the research plots, a three-mode-of-action program delivered strong broadleaf control, although some grass species were beginning to emerge under the heavy weed pressure. A more robust five-mode-of-action program, which Miller describes as a "premium Cadillac program," continued to suppress both broadleaf and grassy weeds four weeks after application.
"That herbicide is keeping those weeds at bay," he says.
Beyond protecting yield this season, Miller notes that effective residual programs also reduce weed pressure in future years by limiting seed production and replenishment of the weed seedbank.
"You've got to do the basics right," he says. "You've got to control those weeds during that critical weed-free stage so that it carries you through."
Website: realagriculture.com
#agriculture #corn #farming #agronomy
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
