Now more than ever, growers need to prioritize effective weed control measures to address increasingly prevalent herbicide-resistant weed pressure. When used as part of an integrated weed management program, herbicide-tolerant crop technology helps growers to efficiently manage resistant weed populations and protect crop yields.
Herbicide-tolerant crops have been bred to withstand specific herbicide applications that would not be safe to apply to crops without an herbicide tolerant trait. These varieties are designed to allow growers to apply necessary herbicides while greatly reducing or eliminating crop injury concerns.
Herbicide tolerant crops are either considered a GMO (genetically modified organism) or a non-GMO. Each option helps provide protection against herbicide injury to crops, but they are developed using different methods.
📸:@fotokostic via Canva/Featuring a weed-free soybean field
Herbicides like glyphosate and glufosinate target key enzymes in a plant’s metabolic pathway, disrupting plant food production and eventually killing the plant altogether. However, as you might imagine, these powerful herbicides can often be as detrimental to crops as they are to weeds. This challenge prompted the development of herbicide tolerant traits in crops that would allow growers to use broad-spectrum herbicides without crop damage.
Uncontrolled weeds can lead to 20% to 60% crop loss,² and implementing weed control measures that proactively control early weed pressure is critical to avoiding yield losses incurred by mature weed pressure. For example, if weeds are 2”-4” tall, corn may experience a 0.5% yield loss per day early in the growing season. Daily yield loss increases to 1% or more when weeds are 6” tall.³
Using herbicide-tolerant crop varieties can make it simpler to effectively manage weeds in an integrated management program that incorporates practices such as reduced tillage, reducing soil erosion and improving soil quality and moisture management.
Herbicide-tolerant crops should not be your sole means of weed control. Instead, think of them as an option that gives you more flexibility. With herbicide-tolerant crops, you can apply herbicides only when they’re needed, control the total input of herbicides, and use herbicides with preferred characteristics.
📸: @chas53 via Canva/Featuring a sprayer applying herbicide to field.
Herbicide-tolerant crops are most effective (financially and environmentally) when used as part of an integrated weed management (IWM) strategy that combines preventive, cultural, mechanical, and chemical weed control measures.⁴
There are multiple glyphosate- and glufosinate-tolerant crop varieties on the market that let you employ herbicides to combat resistant weed populations while simultaneously protecting your crop from herbicide damage.
Ask your seed retailer about selecting a soybean variety with a herbicide-tolerant trait package that will allow you to manage weed species with resistance to common herbicide modes of actions.
Herbicide-resistant weed populations pose a major threat to cotton growers, but thanks to herbicide tolerant trait innovations, cotton growers can now use multiple modes of action to gain effective control of resistant weeds.
To navigate growing and harvesting challenges, fight disease pressure and improve profitability, canola growers can consider canola hybrids that can withstand herbicide applications, allowing growers to manage weed pressure by rotating nonselective herbicide programs.
📸:@aristotoo via Canva/Featuring a weed-free field of canola
Growers are increasingly adopting stacked corn varieties (stacked seeds contain both herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits) to protect their corn yield potential from the get-go. Genetically modified corn seed can help growers ward off pests and alleviate some of the guesswork necessary to effectively schedule herbicide applications when the cash crop is least susceptible to damage. Planting herbicide-tolerant corn reduces the risk of herbicide injury.
Since alfalfa yields are dependent on the density of the stand, weed management is most crucial during initial stand establishment. Alfalfa cultivars that have been genetically modified to be glyphosate tolerant allows growers to apply over the top herbicides at any stage of growth to proactively control weed pressure.
Genetically-engineered sugarbeets can provide tolerance to herbicides such as glyphosate, allowing growers to simplify weed management and increase yield potential. These herbicide-tolerant cultivars allow growers to control yield-limiting weed pressure with effective herbicide applications that won’t damage the cash crop.
Learn more about crop varieties with herbicide tolerance:
Experts are available to help you make your decisions. Reach out to your seed retailer, a nearby extension office agent or a seed company professional like your regional BASF representative.
Always read and follow label directions. Grow Smart is a registered trademark of BASF. Copyright 2024 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.
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