Today (March 8), Seed World visited with a number of experts for an update on resistant weeds and best practices. We were joined by Bill Johnson, a Purdue University Extension weed specialist; Dane Bowers, Syngenta technical product lead; Andy Kendig, ADAMA herbicide development lead; and Diane Plewa, University of Illinois Plant Diagnostic outreach specialist.
A number of strategies were provided to help growers best manage resistant populations. Syngenta’s Dane Bowers said growers need to be adding diversity to their weed management programs and these aren’t necessarily new or additional chemistries. A few of the recommendations included planting narrower rows, adding cover crops and applying multiple sites of action.
All the experts stressed the importance of maintaining clean fields. Kendig said a part of that goes back to good scouting — being able to identify the start of resistance. Johnson added that these changes don’t happen in your fields overnight. He says to pay attention to subtle differences. If you’ve been using a product and it’s worked really well in the past and now its still working pretty good, but not as good. That could be a sign that you’re starting to see resistance, he explained.
He also noted that management strategies for resistant populations depends on what weed you’re dealing with. “You’ve got to know what you’re worst targets are in each field,” Johnson said, adding that a single broad-brushed strategy for your entire operation won’t cut it. “The best decision for whatever challenge you face is knowledge.”
Point being is do your research and educate yourself. This means talking with your crop advisor, retailers you trust and neighbor.
Webinar participants also learned about weed resistance testing and molecular weed identification. This Strategy Webinar was sponsored by BASF and Syngenta and is one hour in length. We hope you find this information of value.
