WHILE THERE’S no question that the vast array of glyphosate products has made weed control much easier in no-tilled crops, there are plenty of ideas that can make the application easier and more effective while boosting your profits.

Like other herbicides, glyphosate is impacted by environmental factors such as hot, cold, dry and wet conditions, says Les Glasgow. “These factors and conditions can have effects on both conditioning of the weed’s susceptibility and on the herbicide directly,” says the technical brand manager for non-selective herbicides at Syngenta Crop Protection.

Here are some valuable tips we’ve collected in recent weeks to help you make glyphosate application more efficient.

1. 

The overall level and speed of weed control generally increases as air temperatures increase, provided the plant is still actively growing, says Glasgow. Yet high temperatures can place plants under drought stress, and heat combined with dry conditions may lead to reduced weed control. Water soluble molecules, like glyphosate, are absorbed into hydrated cuticles more easily.

2.

Glyphosate is less effective at lower temperatures, which leads to slower plant response. This fact has been demonstrated where soil water holding is maintained at field capacity during or shortly after a rain.

Rainfall occurring during or too soon after application can wash herbicide off the foliage and reduce weed control. “The interval required between application and rainfall can vary, depending upon many factors,” says Glasgow. “However, a 30-minute interval between application and rainfall is usually sufficient to allow uptake by the weeds and result…