The presence of a large amount of weeds reduces the yield of beet plantings by 15-20%. For an industrial scale, this is a very large figure, so the use of herbicides to treat weeds is completely justified. Modern manufacturers provide gardeners and summer residents with a large number of drugs of varying degrees of impact. The choice remains with the vegetable grower.
Classification of drugs
When using a beet herbicide, you need to know exactly how it should act, its chemical composition, preferable for a particular site and region.
Herbicides are divided as follows. According to the purpose of application, that is, what type of vegetation needs to be destroyed:
- For weeds.
- For trees and shrubs.
- For aquatic vegetation.
Another classification, scope:
- Continuous action herbicides. Used to remove grass on football fields or roadsides.
- Selective herbicides. Used in fields or garden plots. Such drugs destroy part of the vegetation.
Based on their chemical structure, they are divided into the following types:
- Aryloxyalkylcarboxylic acid.
- Sulfonylurea.
- Aryloxypropionic acid.
- Organophosphorus composition of the substance.
The ability to move around the plant classifies herbicides into 2 types:
- Contact. Effective immediately after use.
- System. They destroy weeds after they enter the plants with moisture.
The summer resident chooses a herbicide that is suitable for a specific beet varieties, for example, stern, or any other. The purpose of using the drugs is also taken into account.
What are herbicides used for?
On a large area, using a herbicide is the only correct solution, since it is impossible to control weeds on your own. Summer residents also use them on their plots. Weeds pull a large amount of useful substances and minerals from the soil, as a result of which the beets “starve” and the overall crop yield decreases. Timely chemical treatment will help protect crops from grass germination.
When and how are herbicides used?
It is possible to control weeds using agricultural methods, but a more effective and durable method is chemical. This destroys most of the weeds.
Herbicides for table and other types of beets are divided into 3 types: pre-sowing, pre-emergence and post-emergence.Until now, universal means have not been invented to combat all types of weeds in fields and plots. Therefore, it is recommended to combine them, taking into account the characteristics of each weed, germination time, cyclicity, type of seeds and other characteristics.
Consumption rates for substances are indicated by manufacturers. For different types of weeds it differs in concentration and frequency of repetitions.
In August-October, beet crops are treated to remove perennial weeds.
From March to May, while the beets have not yet sprouted, heavily clogged areas are treated. It is advisable to cultivate them in the soil.
April-May is a period that especially needs attention; at this time it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions to treat the crop seedlings with a complex of preparations. Paying attention to which weed is potentially dangerous at this time.
From May to August, spraying is carried out as needed. Looking at the weed shoots.
Each summer resident determines the processing time independently; it is important to follow safety precautions and clearly know what exactly the site requires at a given time.
Types of drugs
It is impossible to identify one specifically effective herbicide that has an excellent effect, so the leader has not been identified. Agricultural technicians advise using several types and splitting up the number of treatments. In this case, the required norm is divided into equal parts.
- Soil preparation, Benatal Expert. It acts through the root system of weeds and leaves. Mainly annual, dicotyledonous, cereal grasses. It is best to treat weeds when they have 2 true leaves, then the application rate is 1 liter per 1 ha. The rate is increased by 2 liters per 1 ha if the plants have formed 4 or more leaves.
The efficiency is high and does not affect the beets much. Culture growth is inhibited for only 3 days.Then it continues to grow as usual.
The disadvantages of the drug are that it negatively affects the plant when the temperature drops at night, there is a high degree of solar radiation and temperatures above +25 ⁰С.
- Frontier Optima. The area of influence is the root system of weeds. If weather conditions do not change, the effect is 9 weeks. Beets do not suffer in any way from its use. Moreover, the drug does not affect other cultivated plants grown in the same areas.
- Goltix 700. Universal in use, as it is used in pre-sowing treatment and during the emergence of grass. Effective for dicotyledonous, annual plants and cereal weeds. The active substance decomposes in root vegetables without being deposited and without causing harm to plants. If you treat crops with it sugar beets, you should not be afraid of negative consequences in the form of a residue of the substance in the vegetable.
- Eptam. This herbicide should be handled very carefully. The high degree of volatility poses a threat to the environment. Consumption rate 4 kg per 1 ha.
The use of pre-sowing herbicides is effective at high soil moisture and air temperatures up to + 24 ⁰С.
Treatment after germination is an urgent matter, although beets are sensitive to herbicides, there is no need to delay the process. Other drugs that help destroy weeds are suitable for this purpose.
- Caribou. It acts immediately after treatment and inhibits development. The weed dies completely within 2-3 weeks after treatment. The main condition is that the plant has no more than 4-6 leaves. At later stages of development, weeds are immune to this drug. If the beets are not damaged, the active substance is safe for root vegetables.
- Panther.Its effect begins within an hour after spraying. And the maximum effect occurs 3 days after treatment.
No matter how effective herbicides are, you need to take into account that the most dangerous weeds are two-year-old ones, they are the most difficult to destroy. Therefore, they are processed comprehensively and several times during the growing season.
Peculiarities of beet processing
The crop requires special attention during the germination period. Although at this time the temperature is low (+9-14 ⁰C, some drugs are completely ineffective), treatment cannot be skipped. Since a crop overgrown with weeds does not receive enough nutrients from the soil. And as weeds grow, they become immune to herbicides.
The second treatment is combined with subsequent ones, sprayed with a mixture of several herbicides.
When it comes time to fight perennial weeds, the matter is complicated by the fact that treatment must be carried out in patches. They take more effective drugs for use, such as Centurion, Zelek super and others.
Security measures
The use of herbicides for beets requires precautions. Before use, be sure to read the instructions. Since each drug requires an individual approach.
When working with herbicides, you should wear gloves; be especially careful when working with highly volatile drugs. You cannot drink, smoke, or eat. Items are washed after completion, never reused. Water and drug residues should not be poured into bodies of water.
For a week after spraying, do not water or loosen the soil on the plantings. Wash the sprayer with water and added powder.
The use of herbicides greatly facilitates the work of a summer resident or industrialist.Destroying weeds will help grow beets without significant yield losses. It is necessary to use various methods of struggle in combination. But the most effective remains the chemical one.
