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Maximizing weed control while minimizing cost is critically important. This means that the right herbicides must be sprayed at the right time and in the right way. A weed control failure can be devastating since it will result in lost crop yield as well as additional herbicide and application expense.
Besides the need to control weeds for economic reasons, there is the need to prevent herbicide resistance from spreading. Therefore, weed control strategies should be based on more than just what herbicides to use. Make sure to include other approaches and tools to control weeds, including cultural practices and herbicides with different modes of action.
To prevent herbicide-resistant weeds, be pro-active and aggressive. Preventing resistance is easier to do than controlling weeds after resistance has infiltrated the weed spectrum.
To reduce the potential of resistance, incorporate these practices into your weed management program: use tillage, cultivation, cover crops and crop rotation in resistance programs when practical and profitable; apply a residual herbicide to every acre; remove escaped weeds from a field before seed production by hand weeding or the use of non-selective herbicide applicators; know what modes of action being used in the field year after year for every crop. Make every effort to use alternatives when possible.
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