Years ago when we first suggested you use 3 effective modes of action pre-emerge in soybeans,
YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY….

Specifically, we recommended metribuzin plus a yellow (Trifluralin in conventional-till or Prowl in no-till) and either Valor or Authority.

Now, I would encourage you to at least think about adding a half rate of Pursuit to give you a FOURTH MODE OF ACTION.

HERE’S WHY.

LOW COST

You can now add Pursuit at a half rate for about $2 per acre. In terms of total cost, you can actually get the 4 Pre’s for about $15 per acre in conventional-till, and you can shave about $2 off that price if your soil pH is over 7.4, meaning you will use a lower rate of metribuzin.

LOW RISK

Adding a half rate of Pursuit doesn’t give you much risk for carryover in most soils. Even a full rate of Pursuit applied early in the spring isn’t a huge risk, but it does present more concern in low pH areas (less than 6.0), which is why we typically only talk about a half rate (2 ounces) to be on the safe side.

If you want good weed control, stopping almost all the Roundup-resistant weeds, use the 3 Pre’s this spring in your soybeans.

If you want to kick things up a notch on almost any species other than ALS-resistant weeds, add a half rate of Pursuit for about $2.

We don’t care what soybean trait you are using, if any. Applying the 4 Pre’s should give you the cleanest soybean fields you’ve ever had.

If you don’t believe that, split three different fields, and you’ll see the difference right to the row.

HIGH REWARD

Pursuit is an ALS herbicide, so it won’t help you on ALS-resistant waterhemp or kochia. However, it will help you a lot on wild buckwheat, lambsquarters, black nightshade, common & giant ragweed, mustard, and a whole host of winter annuals and grasses.

Perhaps the biggest question we get about these recommendations is, “Why shouldn’t I use a Group 15 like Warrant, Outlook, or Dual instead of a Yellow?”

Yellows are better on grass and almost all broadleaves vs. Group 15’s. Plus, you don’t use yellows in corn, so they’re great for reducing resistance issues.

Most farmers we work with use either Valor or Authority or a premix that contains one of these PPOs. These products have tremendous activity on waterhemp, kochia, Palmer, lambsquarters, ragweed, and a host of broadleaf weeds. Metribuzin has a lot of ability to stop these weeds, as well, which is why metribuzin should almost always be a part of your soybean weed control program. However, if you have sandy soil and low organic matter, don’t use metribuzin, as it can cause some crop safety concerns.