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During the growing season crops can come under attack from any number of pests, whether it be weeds, insects or fungus.
While keeping pests away from a crop, it’s important to keep two …
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During the growing season crops can come under attack from any number of pests, whether it be weeds, insects or fungus.
While keeping pests away from a crop, it’s important to keep two things in mind: timing and control.
“The biggest tip with any pesticide, and it doesn’t matter what you’re talking about, just if you’re talking herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, whatever you’re applying in your crop, the biggest secret, or biggest key, to the most effective use of those pesticides is timing,” said Jeremiah Vardiman, the University of Wyoming pesticide safety education program assistant coordinator.
If you don’t apply the product in the right time frame for whatever pest you’re targeting, you won’t get as much control.
In Wyoming the most commonly used pesticides are herbicides, Vardiman said, and many different types are used in the spring to get control of weeds. By controlling the weeds the crop is able to establish itself ahead of weeds. This is accomplished by using pre-emergent herbicides, and then post application of herbicides when weeds begin to grow.
“Typically, we’re trying to manage those weeds to get the crop up a better start and get the rows to close,” Vardiman said.
Once the rows close, it serves as the crop’s canopy and provides weed control by blocking sunlight.
Right now, as harvest begins, not many pesticides are being used, Vardiman said, but pesticides called desiccants might be used on crops like alfalfa to dry it in preparation for harvest.
After the harvest is finished, some producers may apply pesticides to harvested fields in the fall to further control weeds.
“Really what it boils down to is knowing what you’re going to control, now identifying that pest that you’re controlling, may it be a weed in the field, knowing the insect in the field, or the disease, and understanding its biology and knowing when the proper time is to control that specific pest,” Vardiman said.
For those looking to apply pesticides, Vardiman said there are many resources to consult — such as crop advisers and publications put out by universities, the University of Wyoming Extension included.
