The Glyphosate Belt
There may be a corn belt, a cotton belt and a bread basket, and now growers are expanding the glyphosate belt. As the use of glyphosate grows each year with such a massive reliance on glyphosate, a greater area becomes at risk to develop glyphosate-resistant weed populations, as well as a greater need for diversity.
Stevan Knezevic, extension weeds specialist at the University of Nebraska, discussed some options in his article in Nebraska Crop Watch Newsletter. He examines how basic principles of an Integrated Weed Management (IWM) program can reduce resistance and preserve glyphosate technology. Knezevic recommends preventing weeds before they start with a soil-applied pre-emergence herbicide, which helps the crop compete with weeds. Implementing practices that do not allow weeds to adapt allows weeds to be kept to a manageable level.
While the glyphosate-belt may be growing, there are solutions you can implement in your weed management program to protect your yields, and hopefully tighten the belt up a notch.