Early season weed control is imperative to maximize soybean yield. Many soybean growers were unable to apply pre-emergence, residual herbicides prior to soybean emergence.

Herbicides can cause serious injury to plants when applied improperly or when non-target drift occurs. Here are five things to consider to avoid crop injury when applying herbicides this spring.

The three most common foxtails in Missouri are yellow, green, and giant foxtail.

Most people are aware that the first confirmed Palmer amaranth infestations were found in Iowa late in 2013. Infestations have been found in five Iowa counties, but we suspect there are more unknown infestations than known.

Capture of black cutworm moths in the IPM traps has been above the rolling five-year average for the last several weeks.

Planting progress may have been slowed by the recent precipitation, but weed emergence continues despite wet field conditions.

Recent cool and wet conditions may increase the risk of seedcorn maggot infestation in some soybean and corn fields.

A news release from the Weed Science Society of America last week covered the results of a study in Arkansas cotton fields to determine the effect over time of releasing 20,000 glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth seeds in a patch, within a 1-square-mile area.

Slow planting progress this spring has led to all efforts focused on getting the crop in the ground. Often the first operation thrown to the wayside is application of pre-emergence herbicides in soybean. A decade ago this practice could be successful, but with widespread multiple herbicide resistance, it either sets up an imminent control failure or contributes to further evolution of herbicide resistance.