Ford Says: Easter Rain

It seems crazy to say the Easter rain was much needed by some, while others have fields still flooded. However, it is a fact that the rain was welcomed on the rice planted since the last big rains. Hopefully, the rain activated a Command or clomazone treatment on everything planted. This should set those fields up nicely for overlapping another residual treatment in front of rainfall predictions for late this week. Obviously, I can't promise the rain will occur, but I would much rather be applying a residual herbicide treatment with a nice prediction of rain than applying it with no rain in sight!

The delayed preemergence/early postemergence treatment can be about any two-way (at least) combination, including Command, Bolero, Facet, Quinclorac, or Prowl. If the rice is Clearfield or FullPage, then imazethapyr could be included in the choice of residuals. Most consultants have their personal preferences. I don't care what combination you use as long as you use something! Hopefully, no grass is up, but if so, then a postemergence herbicide will be needed in the mixture. While some remain reluctant to apply another herbicide treatment when no weeds are up, up-especially in a tight year, the most economical and most effective weed control programs are those that get at least two residual applications before weeds emerge.

Remember, there are two distinctly different liquid formulations of quinclorac. Facet L is a 1.5 lb./gallon product, and 32 OZ/A provides 0.375 lb. active ingredient per acre or the equivalent of 0.5 lb. Facet 75 DF. QuinStar 4L is a 4 lb./gal product, and 12 OZ/A provides the same active rate as the 32 ounces of Facet L above. I show this example as every year I get a call or two where someone has applied QuinStar 4L at the Facet L rate, and that can get pretty exciting. As quickly as things change, there could be other formulations. Read the labels carefully on everything you apply - for both active ingredients and rate per acre.