Hello folks this is Rodrigo Werle. I'm an extension weed scientist at University
of Wisconsin-Madison and also an assistant professor in the Department of
Agronomy. today we're here at Arlington Ag research in the station and I'm
standing here by my cover crop plots. And I have two main objectives with this
video. The first one is to talk about the value of cover crops as part of a weed
control program, and the second thing is considerations for a cover crop
termination. Okay so with the widespread cases of herbicide resistant
weeds across the Midwest and beyond there's been tremendous interest in
adopting cover crops as part of a weed management program. the reason being
is because cover crops can directly suppress weeds, particularly winter
annual weeds, Okay so your horse weeds your ham bits feud pennycress dandelions
as a perennial plant there as well. So there is a good option here for weed
suppression, particularly winter annual weeds. Okay, a
good stand of a cereal rye once terminated should give good amount of
residue in season and researchers have reported that have found that a good
residue of a cover crop can suppress your summer annual weeds. Such
as your giant ragweed and waterhemp. Okay so cover crops alone are not gonna solve
all your weed problems however they can be an effective - and your two blocks
are an effective component in your integrated weed management program okay
so that's that was a value of cover crops you're using it as an alternative
strategy for weed control take some of the selection pressure away from our
herbicides okay or perhaps integrating them with herbicide so you get the best
of both worlds the second aspect I want to visit today here and we're standing
here in the spring we've just got some rain fault
you look at the forecast temperatures are looking very promising and warm so
discover crop that's small now it's going to take off in this next week or
so so you better have a good termination plan so this cover crop here does not
become your next weed problem okay so farmers can use cover crops multiple
some established a cover crop for soil protection some like to see the value of
weed suppression that we get and some see this is an opportunity to feed their
animals okay so they'll chop this zero rye and feed each other herd
okay so if you're gonna be using this cover crop a cereal rye cover crop as a
source of feed the one recommendation there is that you chop it first okay and
then once you start getting their regrowth that's when you're gonna come
and spray your herbicide program okay you don't want to do the other way
around we often times get questions from growers they want to spray and then chop
the day after don't do that first you chop and then you come and you spray the
regrowth to terminate that's your right cover crop okay
now if you're not gonna chop that's your eye if you're growing it exclusively
from a soil health or soil protection or weed suppression if that's the reason
why you're doing that cover crop you're gonna need you terminated prior to your
crop stablishment UW researchers recommend that you terminate that zero
rye cover crop two weeks prior to establishing your corn and your n or
your soybean crop okay so the main strategies there become either
herbicides or a roller crimper if you go the herbicide route glyphosate as the
most commonly used herbicide use for that purpose we recommend you spray the
herbicide when you have temperatures above 50 degrees so the herbicide can be
up taken and trails located in the plant and will will cue it okay
usually herbicide programs are gonna be more effective to terminate the ride
before it heads out I want to say flowers then it would take more
herbicide to terminate it so usually if you're going herbicides you want to be
terminating that cover crop pre or prior it puts it heads out okay the
alternative option to that would be a roller crimper
it's increase in popularity there if you're using a roller crimper what
researchers have shown is that roller crimper becomes more effective after
that ride reaches reproductive stages okay so you want to let that ride grow
you want to row it and then you have a nice mat there to plant on top okay so
we terminated our cover crops the one thing to keep in mind is that if you
have you're struggling with water hemp and some of the other resistant weeds
out there it is of extreme importance that you integrate a pre-emergent
herbicide program okay and some of the things to keep in mind is that depending
upon how much cover crop residue you have left in that soil surface that
razzed you may interfere with the faith of the herbicide okay so you wonder
pre-emergent herbicide should get to the soil and act on the weazy are going to
be emerging so one thing that you need they're considering you have an
excessive amount of cover crop or as your even crop leftover crop residue
there is rainfall so you're gonna put that pre-emergence you need rainfall so
that herbicide gets into the soil and it's activated and it then does its job
okay so those are the main things to consider there in terms of the value of
cover crops as a weed suppression tool termination and integrating with your
pre-emergent herbicide programs thank you