On October 7^th, two articles on rangeland weed control were published on CropWatch which may be of interest to Nebraska ranchers.

Common Mullein Control: Herbicide Choice and Application Timing

The first is on how herbicide choice and application timing influence control of common mullein. Common mullein (Verbascum thaspsus L.) has been a problematic invasive weed in Nebraska for a number of years. Often stakeholders have been disappointed in the level of control a particular herbicide product provides, and they want to know what might work better. Effective weed control in range, pasture, and CRP depends on selectivity and timing. Selectivity simply means the herbicide you choose to use will control the weed you wish to target. Timing refers to when an herbicide will be applied.

Key points

• Multiple active ingredient products may offer greater flexibility over single active ingredient herbicides for rangeland and CRP application.
• When an herbicide is applied is often more critical than what herbicide is applied when controlling common mullein.
• Spring applications offer the best shot at controlling both first and second year common mullein.

Rejuvra™: A New Herbicide for Battling Cheatgrass

The second article discusses a new cheatgrass herbicide, Rejuvra™, which is now available for use in grazed pasture and rangeland. Rejuvra™ has limited activity on emerged plants and only controls seedlings as they germinate. Rejuvra™ can provide control for more than a year after application. The active ingredient, indaziflam, stays in the soil for months and next season cheatgrass is controlled as it germinates. Rejuvra™ will provide superior and longer lasting control of cheatgrass compared to other herbicide options, reliably controlling cheatgrass for 18 months after application when applied in the spring. However, Rejuvra™ will cost more per acre to apply.

Key points

• Rejuvra™ and Esplanade™ provide improved cheatgrass control compared to older range and pasture herbicide products.
• Rejuvra™ and Esplanade™ also cost more than older herbicide options.
• More research is needed into the economics of weed control in pasture to provide better management guidelines for producers.

Please follow the links to the CropWatch articles to learn more about common mullein and cheatgrass control, and reach out to either Nevin Lawrence or Mitch Stephenson if you have questions about these articles or rangeland weed control in general.

Interviews with the authors of BeefWatch newsletter articles become available throughout the month of publication and are accessible at https://go.unl.edu/podcast.