Gramoxone is best applied to small downy brome plants because it relies on contact action for activity. Control with cultivation on fallow or before seeding can be poor especially under moist soil conditions. A burn-down herbicide treatment will usually provide more dependable control than cultivation. Many growers find a glyphosate application in October is the best way to keep downy brome in check. Sencor cannot be used in fall rye.
Wild oat herbicides commonly used in cereal crops are ineffective on downy brome.
In oilseed and pulse crops, Treflan and Edge products will provide some control. Crop rotation is one of the main ways that winter wheat growers manage downy brome. Producing winter wheat only once every 3 to 4 years keeps downy brome at low levels. The frequency of pre-harvest weed management should be determined by the abundance of perennial weeds within a field. References Derksen, D.A. and A.G. Thomas.