Weeds include winter annuals such as mustard, kochia and Russian thistle. Stubble showing poor weed control after harvest on the left, and excellent weed control on the right. Apply residual herbicides in late July to mid-August to control volunteer wheat, downy brome and jointed goatgrass. Various combinations of herbicides with small amounts of atrazine are effective for this purpose. Keep the atrazine rates low and within labeled amounts for your soils and climate.
Failure results in long-term damage to wheat yields.
Failure results in long-term damage to wheat yields. Do not till in this phase of the rotation. Dollars spent for herbicides in this phase give maximum returns compared to any other point in the system. It should be possible to store 3 to 5 inches of water between wheat harvest to fall freeze-up if the stubble is kept weed free. By not tilling, the maximum amount of standing stubble can trap snow in the winter months and increase water storage by spring.