Shop online & get crop protection delivered direct.
Aug 07, 2023
As fall approaches, it’s time to make some crucial decisions for your fields. Deciding whether or not to conduct a fall burndown application has implications for weed pressure, crop rotation, and insect and disease control.
But the benefits of running a fall burndown application mean better future yield potentials and a way to optimize your upcoming planting season.
This post will help you determine whether or not a fall burndown application is suitable for your operation by exploring the following:
Weeds and vegetation can germinate and grow even after you harvest your main crops, posing a potential problem for the next planting season. Fall burndown application is a technique that involves spraying herbicides on the field after harvest. It targets and controls weeds and unwanted vegetation that could compete with the next season’s crop. Fall burndown also helps with pest management before the winter season sets in.
A fall burndown application has several significant benefits contributing to improved crop management and higher yields in the upcoming planting season. Let’s explore three of the main benefits of a fall burndown application.
Weeds left unchecked during the fall can become problematic during planting season, so it’s recommended to target active weeds before they reach maturity and produce seeds. This promotes healthier plant growth and can help maximize yields. Fall burndown reduces weed competition and helps control small-seeded winter annuals that become difficult to manage in the spring, including:
Mustard
Henbit
Common Chickweed
Shepherd’s Purse
Field Pennycress
Hairy Bittercress
Plan to target and control perennial weeds before a potentially deadly freeze. Some of these perennials include:
Canadian Thistle
Bind Weed
Canada Goldenrod
Field Horsetail
Marestail
Weeds left uncontrolled during the fall contribute to the weed seed bank in the soil. The weed seed bank refers to accumulated seeds left in the ground from previous weed generations. Reducing this prevents many weeds from reaching the reproductive stage.
Reduced weed pressure creates less competition for nutrients, water and sunlight. The long-term impact of reducing the weed seed bank means the overall seed bank diminishes over time, resulting in improved crop growth and yields. It also prevents the future possibility of problematic weeds from growing. Not only will this make it easier to manage weeds, but it is also more cost-effective.
Fall burndown positively impacts soil health and crop residue breakdown. When herbicides are applied, they facilitate the rapid decomposition of crop residues from the previous harvest to allow organic matter to break down and release nutrients back into the soil. This enhances soil fertility and promotes optimal growing conditions.
Burndown also prevents residue-related problems such as inadvertently creating a slug habitat and harboring diseases . A clean seedbed improves seed-to-soil contact and also provides an opportunity to tank-mix a BioStimulant to stimulate natural microbial activity in the soil.
[READ NEXT: What’s in Your Soil: Making Sense Out of Macronutrients]
Beyond weed control, fall burndown also aids in pest and disease management. Certain insects overwinter in crop residues or weeds, threatening the next planting season. Reducing vegetation reduces the risk of these pests, contributing to healthier crops and potentially reducing the need for future pesticide applications.
Similarly, a fall burndown application can also prevent plant diseases from overwintering in crop residues or infected plant debris. Reducing the initial disease inoculum limits the number of pathogens that can infect the next crop. Incorporating a fall burndown application into your integrated pest management (IPM) strategy also allows you to adopt a more sustainable pest and disease management approach.
[READ NEXT: FBN® Pest Report - July 2023]
Employing best practices during fall burndown ensures effective weed management and maximizes crop performance. To develop a successful fall burndown strategy, be sure to consider:
Crop rotation
Trait selection
Field scouting
Timely action
Consider the crop rotation you have planned for the next season. Some crops may benefit from a clean start without weed competition.
Rotate crops with different growth habits, nutrient requirements and pest susceptibilities. This will break pest and disease cycles and reduce weed pressures. Avoid planting the same crop in consecutive years on the same field. Also be mindful of residual herbicide effects on the next crop in rotation and consider selecting products with shorter residual activity if necessary.
Trait selection is a critical part of your crop planning strategy. Select crop varieties or hybrids with traits like herbicide resistance, pest resistance and drought tolerance that align with your operation’s specific needs and challenges.
Herbicide-resistant crops target problematic weeds, providing effective weed control and minimizing damage to the crop. These crops typically require fewer herbicide applications, leading to cost savings and a reduced environmental impact.
[READ NEXT: Resistant Weed Control: Things Every Grower Should Know]
Trait selection can also address other challenges like pest management. Crop varieties with pest resistance reduce the need for chemical pesticides and promote healthier crops and better yields. Embracing pest resistance supports better-integrated pest management practices and promotes sustainable ag practices.
Drought tolerance enables crops to withstand and survive water scarcity and reduced rainfall. These crops require less irrigation, preserve water resources and allow farmers to cope with climate variability while still achieving consistent yields. Examples of drought-tolerant crops include:
Sorghum
Chickpeas
Lentils
Quinoa
Sunflowers
Barley
Amaranth
Walk through your field to assess and document the types of problem weeds present. You will better understand weed management techniques by establishing the weed species, density and distribution. Identifying challenging and competitive weeds will help you select the appropriate herbicides for effective weed management.
While the exact timing of a fall burndown application will vary based on the region, crop type and weather conditions, you should ideally schedule the application immediately after harvesting the main crop. This ensures herbicides are applied when winter weeds and unwanted vegetation are actively growing and more susceptible to control efforts.
Temperature plays a vital role in successful herbicide application. When applied at temperatures between 40°F to 60°F, weeds may take longer to kill. If the temperature drops below 40°F for an extended period of time after application, the cooler temperatures can reduce weed control effects because. products like glyphosate and 2,4-D are absorbed more slowly in cooler weather than at higher temperatures.1
Avoid using herbicides during rainy periods or if you expect precipitation within 24-48 hours after application. It’s also best to avoid spraying in windy conditions to minimize spray drift which can damage nearby crops.
[READ NEXT: What to Consider When You’re Selecting a Burndown or Pre-emergence Herbicide]
What’s in your tank will play an important role in fall burndown applications. By combining multiple herbicides with different modes of action, you’ll address a broader spectrum of weeds, including some resistant to individual herbicides. This approach also ensures more control over the existing weed population and saves time by reducing the number of field passes required to make an application impactful.
Tank mixing also provides greater flexibility in weed management, allowing farmers to tailor their herbicides combination to specific weed challenges and environmental conditions.
[READ NEXT: Tips for Your Herbicide Mixing Order]
Choosing suitable herbicides for your fall burndown application will set you up for success during the next planting season. FBN Direct® has a wide variety of effective herbicides to help control weeds and keep your operation on track. With transparent pricing, detailed product labels and direct-to-farm delivery, FBN Direct can help you make the right decision for your fall burndown strategy.
For farmers in the U.S., here are some popular products that can be paired as recommended or required based on each product label:
Product | Pair With | Notes |
Adjuvant is FBN® Suggested | ||
An Adjuvant is label recommended. | ||
An Adjuvant is label recommended. | ||
An Adjuvant is label required. | ||
An Adjuvant is label required. | ||
An Adjuvant is label recommended. |
For Canadian farmers, here is a list of popular products to help with a fall burndown application:
Written by Norm℠, reviewed and edited by Mark Wilson.
© 2014 - 2023 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, “Farmers Business Network ”, “FBN”, “FBN Direct”, “Farmers First” are service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. ICON and FALCON are registered trademarks of Norac Concepts, Inc.
*RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE Due to acute toxicity. For retail sale to and use by certified applicators only - NOT to be used by uncertified persons working under the supervision of a certified applicator.
FBN Direct products and services and other products distributed by FBN Direct are offered by FBN Inputs, LLC in the United States and Farmer’s Business Network Canada, Inc in Canada and are available only in states/provinces where FBN Inputs, LLC/Farmer’s Business Network Canada Inc. is licensed and where those products are registered for sale or use, if applicable. Not available in Quebec. If applicable, please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Nothing contained on this page, including the prices listed should be construed as an offer for sale, or a sale of products. All products and prices are subject to change at any time and without notice. Terms and conditions apply.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state/provincial law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its label. The distribution, sale and use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state/provincial law and is strictly prohibited. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target crop or pest and its compatibility with other products in a tank mix and that the usage of a product is otherwise consistent with federal, state and local laws. We reserve the right to restrict sales on a geographic basis in our sole discretion. You must have a valid applicator license to use restricted use pesticides. Please consult your state/provincial department of agriculture for complete rules and regulations on the use of restricted use pesticides, as some products require specific record-keeping requirements.
All product recommendations and other information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for consulting the product label or for specific agronomic, business, or professional advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified advisor. Neither Farmer's Business Network Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.
This content is a result of a collaborative effort between NormSM, FBN’s artificial intelligence (AI) Ag Advisor, and human writers to deliver valuable content to our FBN members. Our process involves using AI to aid in the drafting and refinement of content, which is then reviewed and edited by human subject matter experts. While we take efforts to ensure accuracy, relevance, and coherence, FBN does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this content. As such, this material should be used for informational purposes only and not as a substitute for professional or expert advice. If you have any questions or feedback about the content, please feel free to contact us or visit our FAQ.
Aug 07, 2023