CHICAGO, HI. - Following
alfalfa or clover with corn has
generally meant plowing the
legume under with a moldboard
plow. But if research conducted by
Ellery Knake, University of
Illinois Extension agronomist,
continues successfully, more
farmers may eliminate that tillage
trip plus several more.
“Alfalfa and clover improve soil
structure. They plow the soil for
you,” he says.
Knake has studied the ef
fectiveness of various herbicide
treatments in what he calls a
“spray-plant-harvest” program
for planting no-till com into alfalfa
or clover. Preplant treatments of
Banvel herbicide or 2,4-D, or a
combination of the two, appear to
be the most promising, he says.
In his research, herbicides were
applied in the spring to control one
year old stands of legumes. No-till
corn was planted the next day. And
for weed control, the entire area
was treated with a combination of
1 % pounds per acre each of
atrazine and Bladex, two pints of
Dual and one quart of crop oil
concentrate per acre.
Research results
The combination of Banvel,
applied at one pint per acre, and
2,4-D, applied at % pound per acre,
resulted in 80 percent control of
alfalfa and 100 percent control of
clover.
Treatment with two quarts per
acre of Roundup resulted in about
40 percent control of alfalfa and
about 90 percent control of clover
as rated in late June. Control of
alfalfa in the Roundup plots did
seem to improve as the season
progressed, Knake says. If a
perennial grass has been seeded
with the legume, Roundup or
‘Spray-plant-harvest’ program is studied
Paraquat may be needed.
The Banvel and 2,4-D treatment
resulted in the highest com yield,
173 bushels.
Besides controlling the alfalfa
and clover effectively, the Banvel
and 2,4-D treatment was the least
expensive. Knake estimates the
cost of using Banvel with 2,4-D at
about $8 per acre.
He also feels that either Banvel
or 2,4-D could be used alone to
control alfalfa and clover.
However, Banvel may work better
on some weeds while 2,4-D might
work better on others. He says the
combination may broaden the
spectrum of control for some
fields.
“One of the advantages of
Banvel is that in addition to con
trolling existing broadleaf weeds,
it has some preemergence activity
through the soil. Another
possibility is a split treatment with
some herbicide applied prior to
planting and some applied before
the com is at the five inch stage,”
Dr. Knake says. This may help to
further control the alfalfa and
broadleaf weeds.
An older alfalfa stands and
where you have tough to control
perennial broadleaf weeds, a fall
treatment of Banvel or 2,4-D
followed by a spring application
may be appropriate, he says.
More research is being con
ducted this year to further define
rates and times of application.
Some labels have been updated
recently to allow some treatments
but others haven’t. Be sure that the
treatments you plan on using are in
compliance with current labeling,
Knake says.
Knake suggests that growers
seed alfalfa or clover on this year’s
Control weeds
set-aside acres to help control
erosion and weeds.
“These acres are some of the
most important to control weeds
on,” he points out, “because weeds
left to produce seed can mean
much more effort and expense for
weed control'in future years.”
One of the keys is to seed straight
alfalfa or clover with no perennial
grass. This allows a much lower
cost program when you get ready
for no-till com. Cost of seed,
CHAMBERSBURG - The
Automatic Mist Sprayer is a
versatile weapon in the war
against flies and mosquitoes ac
cording to Ryder Supply, Cham
bersburg.
Designed for mounting on 3-point
fast hitch, the Mist Sprayer is
ready to go in minutes. The Mist
Sprayer creates a powerful air
blast which is ideal for spraying
breeding places in and around
buildings. It can also be used to
fumigate buildings by directing the
blower through a door or window.
Livestock can be treated by
directing the spray over the herd
and letting the treated mist cloud
settle over them. An optional
handgun is available for treating
animals individually. In addition,
the Mist Sprayer saves money on
chemicals because it breaks up
spray into finer droplets which
cover more area with less
chemical. The Sprayer is available
with 20 or 50 gallon polyethlylene
tank.
For further details contact the
manufacturer, Automatic
Equipment Mfg. Co., Department
seedbed preparation and her
bicides for direct seeding the
legume without a so called “nurse
crop” may run about $3O per acre,
Dr. Knake says. But by the time
you subtract $l5 or so for the
nitrogen the legume adds, you
have a relatively low cost
program. And the government is
essentially paying for your costs on
set-aside acres, he adds.
Also, you may be able to graze
the legume in the fall or get one
hay cutting in the spring and still
sprayer fights
Mist
Fly treatment of both buildings and livestock is possible
with the Automatic Mist Sprayer.
NR, Pender, Neb. 68047, 402-385- Supply, Box 219, Chambersburg,
3054 or the distributor, Ryder 17201,717-263-9111.
no-till plant corn- depending on
ASCS regulations and growing
conditions in your area. It’s im
portant, however, to leave enough
growth to allow translocation of
the Banvel or 2,4-D into the roots.
Three to five inches should be
adequate, Knake says, but it’s
critical that the alfalfa or clover is
actively growing. And if you use
Banvel, apply it early to avoid
possible injury to nearby
soybeans.
flies
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