Update from the Field: Decoding Dicamba
Posted by David Dyson, Agronomist on October 30, 2017
Dicamba is not a new chemical; it actually was developed in 1967, and it has been a major player in the post herbicide corn market for 50 years. Some might even say, “What is the big deal? I have been spraying corn with dicamba all my life.” The big deal is the recent market acceptance of the dicamba resistant soybean varieties last year. With the increase in Roundup® resistant weeds and the inability of Liberty® herbicide to effectively control weeds all season long in our soybean crop, farmers are trying every weapon in their arsenal to keep their fields clean.
Most of The Andersons’ Farm Centers tiptoed into the dicamba mine field this summer. Dicamba is not unfamiliar to our Farm Centers; however, our staff knows how and when to spray to avoid drift and limit volatility as much as possible. There are certain rules one must adhere to when spraying dicamba:
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Never acidify the spray solution. When there is excessive hydrogen in the spray solution, the volatility increases dramatically.
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Always use the correct spray tip. This will create the right size droplet and reduce fine particles, which increase chances of drift.
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Always spray during the day to reduce the chances of temperature inversion and allow the chemical to “rise up and float away.” Temperature inversion occurs most often at night, between sunset and sunrise.
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Always use a good deposition agent.
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Only spray dicamba when wind speeds are below 10 mph.
We encourage our clients to only use dicamba with their burndown to prevent off-target spray (Figure 1). The burndown option with Roundup, dicamba, and a good residual herbicide application at planting will make for excellent weed control as well as minimize off-target spray.
Dicamba is a wonderful product to fight tough broadleaves in corn and soybeans. As applicators, we can reduce exposure to off-target application by following the five simple rules listed above. Growers can also spray dicamba with their burndown to eliminate the risk of drift, and then come back around July 4th with just Roundup to clean up straggler weeds. Remember, dicamba is just one tool in the tool box. It’s not a miracle chemical, and we need to use this herbicide along with a good residual to fight resistance.
Summary:
- Follow the rules
- Encourage dicamba in the burndown program
- Always use a good residual
Figure 1: Off-target dicamba spray
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Dave Dyson is a regional agronomist for The Andersons’ Farm Centers which are located throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He is an Indiana native and grew up on a dairy farm in Miami County. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Crop & Soil Science, Dave has a deep knowledge of various agronomic topics and is committed to helping growers improve their crops. If you have any questions, Dave can be reached at david_dyson@andersonsinc.com.
Liberty is a registered trademark of Bayer Crop Science.
Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC.
