The number of acres planted to LibertyLink® soybeans has grown significantly in 2018 and I want to thank all of you who plant LibertyLink beans as an alternative to traditional glyphosate beans. Here is a list Bayer uses to help growers be successful with Liberty herbicide application technology.
- Start clean, prior to Liberty application, with a burndown herbicide or tillage (vertical tillage tools not recommended).
- Apply full labeled rates of a soil residual herbicide with 2 effective modes of action targeting problem weeds approximately 1 week before planting, or as close to planting time as possible. Liberty may be mixed with a burndown herbicide, if necessary.
- For Liberty applications target small weeds: 3” average weeds for optimum control.
- Apply no less than 32 oz./A of Liberty. However, 36 – 43 oz. may be required due to weed size or adverse weather conditions.
- Use 2.0-3.0 lb./A of AMS. Alternative replacement products must provide an equivalent amount of free ammonia. (I recommend 2 lbs. per acre when it is hot. You can see the beans yellow a little with this much AMS; that’s normal.)
- Use correct nozzles providing medium to coarse droplets. Suggested nozzles include Turbo TeeJet®, Turbo TwinJet® and Hypro GuardianAIR® Twin. We are shooting for 300-micron-size droplets.
- Water volume of no less than 15 GPA is required, but 18 – 20 should be used when weeds are thick.
- Reduce sprayer speed for dense or large weed populations—10 mph is recommended. Spray at wind speeds of less than 10 mph.
- The addition of a deposition/drift reduction product may reduce spray coverage and product performance; therefore, we do not recommend using one.
- Recommended Product Mixing Order: 1) ½ water, 2) AMS, 3) tank mix partners, 4) remaining water, 5) Liberty
- Scout fields within 7 days to gauge the efficacy of the Liberty applications
- If weed densities are extreme, a 2nd application of Liberty within 7 – 10 days may be necessary.
- Do NOT allow weeds to recover before 2nd application
Please reread #4 above, as it has come into play in 2018. In many areas our soybean pre-emergence herbicides did not get enough water to activate. This means we are spraying larger weeds postemergence than we desired. Please pay attention to weed size and rates of Liberty.
I realize that we have promoted 32 oz. as the starting rate for this product, but I feel many weeds are now larger than 4 inches tall and may require a higher rate. You can legally spray 43 oz. of Liberty in one application and 87 oz. annually.
Eric Ifft has been a technical consultant with Bayer CropScience since 2008. Contact him at eric.ifft@bayer.com or 309-825-3730.
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