Battle for the Field: Italian Ryegrass Fall Burndown

With the recent rainfall across Louisiana and Mississippi, Italian ryegrass will be up before you know it! Don’t wait until spring, when a fall program can prevent Italian ryegrass infestations such as this:

📸: BASF employee/Featuring Italian ryegrass infestation.

Fall germination of Italian ryegrass creates major problems when planting corn, cotton, and soybeans the next season. Italian ryegrass is not only spreading across fields, but this weed is already resistant to glyphosate and becoming more resistant to clethodim.¹ With resistance, it is important to make sure you try to control your weeds before they emerge. While it can be hard to justify paying for a fall burndown application, especially in a difficult year, you will most likely spend more money to try to play catch-up next year in controlling your weeds.

A fall burndown application of Zidua^® SC herbicide or Outlook^® herbicide will help get you through the winter months.

Fallow Ground Options

There are several options for broad spectrum burndown and residual weed control of Italian ryegrass, marestail, henbit, and other broadleaf weeds. Our fall burndown herbicide recommendations for corn, cotton, and soybean fields include:

• Zidua^® SC herbicide 3.25 fl oz/A + Gramoxone® herbicide + adjuvants

OR

• Zidua^® SC herbicide 2.4–3.25 fl oz/A + Valor® 2.0 oz/A + Gramoxone® herbicide + adjuvants

OR

• Zidua^® SC herbicide 2.4–3.25 fl oz/A + metribuzin + Gramoxone® herbicide + adjuvants

• Metribuzin has an 8-month rotation to cotton (see label for more information).

OR

• Outlook^® herbicide 16 fl oz/A + Valor® 2.0 oz/A + Gramoxone® herbicide + adjuvants

OR

• Outlook^® herbicide 16 fl oz/A + metribuzin + Gramoxone® herbicide + adjuvants

• Metribuzin has an 8-month rotation to cotton (see label for more information).

📸: @Pixel via Canva/Featuring Italian ryegrass emergence.

Wheat Options

For burndown and residual control in wheat, fall herbicide program options include:

Delayed PRE to Spiking Options: (Wheat must be germinated with a ½ inch long shoot for spiking, and seed must be covered at least ¾ inch deep.)

• Zidua^® SC herbicide (3.25 fl oz/A) for residual Italian ryegrass control (check soil texture for rates).

OR

• Zidua^® SC herbicide (2.4 fl oz/A) + metribuzin for newly emerged and residual Italian ryegrass (see metribuzin label for application timing).

Early Postemergence: 

• Add Zidua^® SC herbicide (3.0 fl oz/A) to applications of Axial® XL herbicide or Axiom® herbicide for residual and postemergence control of Italian ryegrass.

For more information about BASF products, please contact your local BASF representative.

Before mixing components, always conduct a compatibility jar test. Always consult respective product labels for specific mixing instructions. The most restrictive label applies.

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Endnotes

1. Managing Italian Ryegrass in Mississippi Soybeans (farmprogress.com)

Always read and follow label directions. Grow Smart, Zidua and Outlook are registered trademarks of BASF. Gramoxone and Axial are registered trademarks of Syngenta. Valor is a registered trademark of Valent U.S.A. Axiom is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience. Copyright 2023 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.