Planting 2026 is upon us, and with that comes early season herbicide recommendations. Regardless of crop, controlling weeds early in the growing season is where it matters most. Early season weeds simply have the opportunity to be more competitive with rice for a longer period of time. Furthermore, when we don’t control our weeds early, we can end up creating a bigger issue later in the season when those weeds end up getting too big to control adequately and affordably.
With these current market conditions in 2026, growers will certainly be looking to reduce inputcosts. There are generally two input areas where I recommend that growers do not cut costs:weed control and fertility. Reducing these inputs can lead to significant yield and quality loss and further exacerbate the issue. Regarding weeds, reduced inputs upfront can oftentimes lead to increased inputs later in the season to clean up where we tried to cut costs earlier in the year.
In my opinion, building a strong foundation for a successful herbicide program starts with residual herbicides. In rice, Command serves as the standard for pre-emergence herbicide programs, especially for grass control early in the growing season. Mix it with Sharpen and Roundup, and we’re off to a good start for the year.
Oftentimes, especially in Texas, we forget about Prowl and Bolero, which are technically delayed pre-emergence products. We tested these products applied at their proper timings on one of the most challenging barnyardgrass populations I have ever seen in 2025. Out of some of the most popular herbicides labeled in rice, Command, Prowl, and Bolero were the only treatments that showed any promise.
Figure 1. Percent control and rates for pre-emergence and post-emergence products applied on herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass in Texas.
This suggests that we should be doing more residual overlay in Texas rice to manage these resistant weed populations. The key to any residual overlay program is controlling weeds prior to emergence. My recommendation for residual overlay in rice has generally been to apply
Command + Sharpen at planting, Prowl two to three weeks later, and Bolero two to three weeks after that. This should have growers in a solid grass control situation going to flood.
For broadleaves and sedges in a residual overlay program, I recommend Gambit instead of Permit, which is essentially Permit premixed with prosulfuron — an ALS herbicide with fantastic residual. League is another ALS herbicide similar to Permit/Gambit that has fantastic residual activity. Either one of these mixed with Prowl or Bolero would be a great option to follow the
Command + Sharpen applied at plant. For post-emergence grass control, growers should be utilizing varieties like Provisia or MaxAce rice and their labeled quizalofop formulations where their grass issues are the worst. Residual overlay with Command, Prowl, and Bolero is also a great option when growing these varieties to extend the effectiveness of each application, considering quizalofop does not have residual activity. There is only one barnyardgrass population that we are aware of in Texas where quizalofop performance on barnyardgrass was lackluster. It has performed excellently everywhere else in the state.
Keep in mind that Provisia and MaxAce rice each require different formulations of quizalofop. Highcard herbicide must be used with MaxAce rice and Provisia herbicide with Provisia rice. Be aware that quizalofop is susceptible to herbicide antagonism, so check your mixes with manufacturers or Extension before application. Also, be aware of if Newpath was applied in the previous year, these quizalofop-tolerant varieties cannot be grown.
Another weed that snuck up on us in 2025 was rice flatsedge. We know this has been an issue in isolated areas in Texas in the past, but the problem seems to be rapidly expanding across the state. Rice flatsedge can be a little more challenging because of the heavy dependence we’ve developed on ALS-inhibiting herbicides like Permit, League, and others.
I typically recommend Basagran to alleviate these issues when rice flatsedge is less than 4 inches tall. The problem is by the time we figure out Permit or other ALS products aren’t working, the flatsedge is a foot tall and Basagran is no longer a viable option. If a grower knows they are going to have a flatsedge issue, it’s better to be proactive with Basagran early, instead of being reactive when ALS herbicides fail. Once ALS-resistant flatsedge is too tall for Basagran, that really leaves us with two options: Loyant and Rogue. Keep in mind that both of these products perform better when rice is flooded, especially Rogue where it is a requirement for application. ∆
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