Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
December 8, 2016
Corn and soybean growers this year are seeing how the Enlist™ weed control system can control tough weeds and lead to improved yields. Growers who planted Enlist corn and Enlist soybeans have seen the efficacy of Enlist Duo® herbicide in their fields. Enlist Duo is not yet registered for use on Enlist cotton, but growers who planted Enlist cotton were able to take advantage of glufosinate tolerance for another important postemergence mode of action.
With grain in the bins, growers are gauging the success of this year’s crops. For many, the struggle with stubborn weeds once again created headaches and curbed yield.
However, growers who planted Enlist™ corn and soybeans in 2016 have seen first-hand the benefits of the Enlist weed control system. These growers have reported on-target application, excellent weed control and impressive yields.
Iowa grower Steve Bireline gave Enlist two thumbs up. “It was fantastic. It was by far the best corn we had on our farm.”
Missouri grower Josh Turner also observed good yield monitor numbers. “I was happy with the yield,” says Turner, who planted Enlist soybeans. “We got excellent weed control, even of tough-to-control weeds, and good yield. The total package.”
This year PhytoGen launched the Enlist trait in PHY 490 W3FE, which provides tolerance to glufosinate as well as glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline, the active ingredients in Enlist Duo® herbicide. Enlist Duo is not yet registered for use on Enlist cotton. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to register Enlist Duo for use with Enlist™ cotton and registration is expected early in 2017.
Missouri grower Josh Turner saw excellent crop tolerance to Enlist Duo® herbicide. He also reported the herbicide was affecting weeds within just a couple of hours of application.
However, cotton growers this summer applied glufosinate, providing another mode of action to control weeds. They also reported positive yields at harvest.
“The PhytoGen cotton with the Enlist trait yielded even better than expected,” says Bradley Moore, a Tennessee grower. “It outyielded the other varieties around it by about 100 pounds.”
Corn and soybean growers saw clean fields at harvest.
“We had no weed issues at harvest,” reports Steve Kliewer, a Kansas grower who grew Enlist corn. “I’d be hard-pressed to say there was a weed out there.”
The same was true in Iowa. “We paid special attention to it when combining,” Bireline says. “I’d pay you 100 bucks if you could find a weed. Enlist Duo is efficient, simple and very effective.”
Cotton grower Jonathan Mann applied glufosinate postemergence, getting good weed control with excellent herbicide tolerance from his crop.
A herbicide that stays on target
One important aspect of using the Enlist weed control system is the ability to apply a postemergence herbicide that stays on target. Enlist corn and Enlist soybean growers who used Enlist Duo herbicide reported no drift issues.
Enlist Duo herbicide is a combination of glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline, which minimizes drift and features near-zero volatility. This allows growers to apply the herbicide with peace of mind.
“I didn’t notice any off-target movement,” Turner says. “There was no damage to any crops directly next to the Enlist field. There was no evidence at all of any drift or anything affecting those plants.”
Enlist Duo herbicide features Colex-D® technology. “This technology significantly limits drift potential during application,” notes Jonathan Siebert, Ph.D., Enlist™ field sales leader. “The formulation also provides near-zero volatility, meaning it won’t move after application.”
Quick, effective weed control
Enlist corn and soybean growers saw that Enlist Duo® herbicide began to work quickly to control their most challenging weeds.
“Almost immediately after application, within the first hour, we noticed weeds wilting,” Turner says. “They were goose-necked over and starting to die.”
Plus, growers report excellent crop tolerance to Enlist Duo herbicide. “The weed control was phenomenal, and the soybeans did not get hurt,” says Jason Cook, who is growing Enlist soybeans on his Arkansas operation as part of the Field Forward program, growing soybean seed for production.
Cotton growers see advantage
Meanwhile, cotton growers this year harvested PhytoGen® brand PHY 490 W3FE, which includes the Enlist trait and WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection. The presence of full glufosinate tolerance expands grower options.
“We applied one treatment of glufosinate at a label rate and saw 100 percent tolerance across the field,” says Georgia cotton grower Jonathan Mann. “We didn’t see any burn, any cosmetic damage whatsoever. Having glufosinate tolerance with PhytoGen Enlist cotton gives us another mode of action within our weed management plan.”
Looking at a brighter future
As they come to the end of a successful 2016 season, growers are looking forward to increasing their use of the Enlist weed control system.
“If Enlist is fully approved for next year, I would plant 100 percent of my corn to Enlist,” Bireline says. Others agree.
“I’ll continue to use Enlist on our farm, just for the weed control and ease of use,” Turner says. “It’s going to be a pretty valuable asset to control your weeds throughout the field and not have any worry of damaging neighbors’ crops or of drifting issues.”
Visit Enlist.com and access Experiencing Enlist to learn more about these growers and Enlist™ technology, including Enlist traits and Enlist Duo® herbicide with Colex-D technology.
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