Even though acres of winter wheat in northern Illinois are less than a year ago, the majority of the crop is rated as good. Herbicide application to control certain weeds in wheat must be properly timed to provide good control and to minimize the potential for crop injury, notes Aaron Hager, University of Illinois Extension weed specialist.

As Hager mentioned in the April 10 issue of the Pest Management & Crop Development Bulletin, applications made to actively growing weeds and during periods of warm air temperatures generally provide more effective and complete weed control as compared to those applications made during cool, cloudy conditions.

Labels of all herbicides commonly used for weed control in wheat have application restrictions based on wheat developmental stage. The labels of most products commonly used in Illinois indicate that applications must be made before the wheat jointing stage. Very few herbicides are approved for application to wheat and oats if a legume underseeding is present. A listing of herbicides for use in wheat and oats was included in the April 10 article mentioned above; it can be found at this web site http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/article.php?id=1074

Before making any herbicide application, be sure to read and follow label directions.