Scout now for winter annuals in no-till fields

Abstract

<p>Winter annual weeds have steadily increased in the past decade due to expanding no-till acres. In the majority of Iowa no-till fields, winter annuals do not generate sufficient biomass by planting time to interfere with planting or early-season crop growth. Because of this, our recommendation generally is to control winter annuals with at-planting burndown treatments. If the current dry period continues into the spring, it may be beneficial to control these weeds in March or early April to minimize their use of soil moisture reserves.</p>