Major multinationals launch new herbicides for 2014

Several major multinationals launches a new batch of herbicide offerings for US’s corn and soybean producers for 2014. Many of these product offerings take advantage of current chemistries and offer a new formulation package or product mix to bring added flexibility to a producer’s weed control options, giving them added tools to battle herbicide-tolerant weeds. The details are as follow:

BASF

Engenia is an advanced dicamba formulation that will provide an additional site of action for control of broadleaf weeds in dicamba-tolerant crops. Approval of Engenia is expected in late 2014, in advance of commercialization of the dicamba-tolerant soybean system. Engenia will provide broad-spectrum burndown of more than 100 annual broadleaf weeds, including glyphosate-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, marestail, velvetleaf, morningglory and giant ragweed. Its application flexibility will allow growers to target key weeds with either a pre- or postemergence application in dicamba-tolerant crops.

Cheminova

Crusher is a selective herbicide for both burndown and residual control of annual grass and broadleaf weeds. Its two active ingredients — thifensulfuron and rimsulfuron — can be used in fall to early winter or spring for corn and soybean planting, and it’s also labeled for use on field corn when applied at preplant and preemergence, and for soybeans when applied at preplant. Crusher can also be tank-mixed with other suitable herbicides to control additional weeds.

Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences has new formulations of four of its residual corn herbicides — Keystone NXT, Keystone LA NXT, FulTime NXT and Surpass NXT — for control of annual grasses and broadleaves. The formulations offer shorter rotation intervals and better handling. The enhanced formulations can be applied from preplant to early postemergence, and can be used alone or in combination with many preemergence and postemergence corn herbicides.

Surveil Co-pack offers preemergence and residual control of a broad spectrum of weeds in soybeans. It contains the active ingredients flumioxazin and cloransylam-methyl, and provides excellent crop rotational flexibility.

DuPont

DuPont has added Panoflex herbicide, which complements glyphosate and other tank-mix partners in preplant applications, for soybean producers in the Northern Plains states. Panoflex improves preplant glyphosate burndown in cool conditions any time ground is not frozen. Panoflex also offers flexible plant-back options for many Northern Plains crops, including corn and wheat.

Trivence is a burndown plus residual herbicide that may be applied preplant or preemergence to soybean acres. It includes three modes of action for control of weeds, including herbicide-resistant horseweed (marestail), Palmer amaranth, giant ragweed and common waterhemp. Trivence tank-mixed with glyphosate and/or 2,4-D provides a highly effective weed control combination with four-plus modes of action for improved resistance management.

Alluvex is a preplant-preemergence burndown corn herbicide designed for the Northern Plains to be tank-mixed with a current burndown program. It contains two modes of action, absorbed and translocated by both roots and foliage to rapidly inhibit growth of susceptible weeds. These include volunteer alfalfa, dandelion, common lambsquarters, common buckwheat, mustards and volunteer canola, and it suppresses field bindweed and Canada thistle. Alluvex tank-mixed with glyphosate, such as Abundit Extra and/or 2,4-D, strengthens a start-clean, stay-clean corn herbicide program.

FMC

Anthem herbicide received a label for soybeans in December, allowing producers the flexibility to apply it to either corn or soybeans. Anthem can be applied preplant, preemergence and early postemergence for control of glyphosate-resistant weeds.

Authority Elite herbicide provides broad-spectrum weed control with an application window from 30 days preplant up to three days after planting soybeans. Its two modes of action provides control of tough and resistant weeds, including waterhemp, Palmer pigweed, and other broadleaf weeds and grasses.

Authority Maxx herbicide provides flexible broadleaf weed control for soybean producers.

FMC is also expecting several products to be available in time for the 2014 growing season, pending regulatory approval. Accolade controls broadleaf weeds; Solstice is a postemergence herbicide for corn; and Stanza can be applied 30 days prior to planting through V6 postemergence in corn. Stanza will control large-seeded broadleaf weeds, especially cocklebur and giant ragweed.

MANA

Torment soybean herbicide is a liquid formulation of imazethapyr and fomesafen, which is ideal for glyphosate and HPPD/triazine resistance issues.

It controls more than 65 species of grass and broadleaf weeds in soybeans, including waterhemp, pigweed, foxtail, marestail, jimsonweed, lambsquarters, morningglory, nightshade, waterhemp, pigweed, ragweed and velvetleaf. It can be applied pre- to early postemergence, and gives up to 45 days of residual activity.

NuFarm

NuFarm is launching a new line of herbicide products for corn and soybean producers under the Combating Troublesome Species, or CATS, herbicide line. The products combine multiple modes of action at various intervals for maximum weed control.

Base herbicides are Panther, a pre-emergent, residual herbicide for corn and soybeans, and Cheetah, a nonselective herbicide.

Combinations of these brand herbicides with other active ingredients will be introduced in the 2014 growing season and beyond.

Also for 2014, Cheetah Max will provide broad-spectrum burndown plus residual control, keeping fields clean through early postemerge applications.

Syngenta

Callisto GT is a postemergence herbicide that is a premixed formulation of Callisto and Touchdown herbicides. Callisto GT targets emerged broadleaf weeds and grasses, such as Palmer amaranth, lambsquarters, waterhemp and ragweeds. Following a postemergence application in corn, susceptible weeds take up the herbicide through the treated foliage and cease growth soon after.

Valent

Fierce herbicide is now available to both corn and soybean producers. Fierce controls broadleaves and grasses, including species that are resistant to glyphosate and other chemistries. Fierce combines a new chemistry for grass and broadleaf control — pyroxasulfone developed by Kumiai Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. — with Valor herbicide. Fierce can be applied up to three days after planting soybeans or up to seven days before planting no-till or reduced-tillage corn, giving producers added flexibility to plant soybeans or corn.

Waiting for regulatory approvals

What will likely garner a lion’s share of the attention when it comes to crop protection products will be the buildup to some highly anticipated product launches in 2015. Both Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist Weed Control System and Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System are anticipating regulatory approval in time for the 2015 growing season.

Enlist has already been making waves, with more than 5,000 retailers, seed sellers and growers participating in early field training in 2013. “We want to prepare the industry for the introduction of this new technology, so that when it’s available, farmers, retailers and seed sellers can hit the ground running and get the most out of the technology while using it responsibly,” according to Damon Palmer, U.S. commercial leader for the Enlist Weed Control System. “In-field demonstrations and learning opportunities are an important step in that preparation.”

Training participants learned about the three components of the Enlist system: Enlist traits, Enlist Duo herbicide with Colex-D Technology and the Enlist Ahead management resource.


Pending regulatory approvals, Dow AgroSciences expects to launch Enlist corn and soybeans in 2015, with cotton to follow.

Monsanto is anticipating two products for release in 2015 (pending regulatory approval) to coincide with the launch of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. Roundup Xtend will be a glyphosate-dicamba pre-mix, and XtendiMax will be a dicamba product. The company will have several Learning XPerience sites set up this summer.

And Syngenta is close to launching a new selective herbicide for corn. While still under development, SYN-A197 is for burndown and residual weed control in corn. SYN-A197 will contain four active ingredients and three modes of action that will offer built-in corn weed resistance management and product stewardship. One of the four active ingredients is a new one — bicyclopyrone — an HPPD-inhibiting herbicide. SYN-A197 is anticipated to control a broad spectrum of broadleaf weeds and annual grasses, including giant ragweed, common ragweed, marestail, kochia, Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, cocklebur and morningglory.