Bayer submits registration for new dicamba label to maintain U.S. farmer access

By Adrienne Held

Bayer has submitted a proposed label for KHNP0090, the dicamba herbicide known as XtendiMax, to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for registration after the label was vacated earlier this year. 

The proposed changes include a maximum of two applications, and in soybeans, a June 12 application cutoff date and no over-the-top (OTT) application. In cotton, OTT uses will be allowed with a cutoff of July 30. 

What does this mean for farmers who use dicamba in soybeans to battle resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, and others that emerge after June 12? 

″It will force growers to be more reliant on residual preemergence herbicides and on glufosinate postemergence for those growing Xtend soybeans,″ says Bill Johnson, weed science specialist with Purdue University. ″It will increase selection pressure for glufosinate-resistant pigweeds.″ 

The registration for XtendiMax was vacated earlier this year and EPA issued an existing stocks order, allowing farmers to use dicamba sold before Feb. 6. Bayer emphasized that the proposed label changes are for the 2025 crop season and beyond. 

Because the application involves a new use pattern for dicamba, in order to stay consistent with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is required to provide a 30-day public comment period and are also seeking comment on the associated draft labeling that Bayer has submitted. The last day to submit a comment regarding the proposed registration and label is June 3, 2024.

In a statement, Bayer said, ″We stand fully behind the technology and believe growers should continue to have access to vital crop protection tools. We encourage growers and others to participate in this public comment period to help explain the importance of the technology.″ 

The EPA can take up to 17 months to review the application from the date that the action gets processed. If it uses the 17 months, it may mean that dicamba use may remain prohibited for the 2025 crop season. 

″We hope the EPA will continue to move swiftly so growers have access to the technology in time for the 2025 season,″ says Bayer. ″We are doing everything we can to get the best possible label for growers for 2025 and beyond.″