b'PROTECTING POLLINATORS This series is sponsored by Operation Pollinator,a Syngenta global initiative.ITS NOT TOO LATE!STEWARDSHIP AND RESISTANCE GO HAND-IN-HANDTo make your crop protection products more effective, its imparative to be learn how product resistance and stewardship go together.Melissa Shipman melissanshipman@gmail.comSTEWARDSHIP MEANS MANYof things to different of people, but managing crop protection products well is one critical component.Not only are we managing the product in the market, but we also have to protect the environment and the users of that product, says Ray McAllister, senior direc-tor, regulatory policy, CropLife America.Kevin W. Langdon, product biology lead at Syngenta, North America, says the more we think about resistance, the longer a pesticide can be used.Resistance management beginsDuane A. Martin serves asKevin W. Langdon serversDane Bowers serves as well before a product is ever registeredcommercial traits manageras product biology lead attechnical product lead of because resistance can cause the productof Syngenta. Syngenta. Syngenta. lifecycle to be cut short as a viable option within a cropping system, Langdon says.and over, year after year, and thats whenTank mixtures are more economical to Managing the use of a product can helpwe are much more likely to see resistanceapply, but we do have to keep in mind extend the life of that product.develop, Martin says. That mutation thatthat pests may be more susceptible to may occur is able to build over time anddifferent products at different times. Understanding the Cause become a bigger part of that population,McAllister says that crop protection To better understand resistance, gettinguntil the product that used to be effectiveproducts need to be used at the correct to the root of the issue is key. is no longer a viable option. usage rate, or there can be unfortunate Natural mutations occur in any popu- Dane Bowers, technical product leadconsequences. lation, says Duane A. Martin, commercialof Syngenta, North America, says thatToo little can allow a pest or weed that traits manager, Syngenta. Even withoutthough resistance is a tremendous prob- is partially resistant to survive, he says. ever applying any active ingredient, welem, there are things we can do to slowAs with most aspects of commercial will see those natural genetic mutations. down the process. agricultural, one of the best practices for When a mutation causes an organismSome people have the mindset thatsuccess is an active monitoring strategy. to withstand a specific active ingredientit doesnt matter what they do, resistanceGrowers need to be aware of pest despite all non-mutated organisms beingwill happen anyway, but managementpressures in their fields, McAllister says. killed, this allows the mutated organismsdecisions are the key to preventing orWeed escapes can be the harbinger of to reproduce and spread. delaying resistance, he says. developing resistance, so we have to take Eventually, if we continue to applynote of those. Even if it means manual that same product, our kill rate will dropPreventing Problems removal, we cant leave those resistant from 100% to 95%, and even further ifTo prevent resistance, apply products atweeds to propagate.steps arent taken to prevent that fromthe correct point in the growth cycle.happening, Martin says.The label will spell out the best wayMultiple ModesWhen a product is easy and econom- to use the product alone or in combina- The best way to fight resistance is to vary ical to use, farmers want to use it overtion with other products, McAllister says.the mode of action. 90/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2019'