As we turn the calendar over to 2021, it is time to start thinking about planning for the upcoming cropping year. Up to this point, many have sketched out a plan by committing acres to certain corn hybrids and soybean varieties based on yield performance and agronomics. One decision that many have faced is soybean herbicide trait options. We’ve seen a new herbicide trait emerge in the past year with another coming down the pipeline, it’s important to know and understand what herbicides can be sprayed on the various soybean herbicide traits available.

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans®

The last number of years we’ve made the transition on many acres from Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans to Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® Soybeans – adding dicamba tolerance to soybeans. This has given us another tool to combat Glyphosate resistant weeds such as Canada Fleabane and Giant Ragweed but it has also forced us be more diligent and mindful of neighbouring crops. Always plan to use dicamba products early in season, in no-till pre-plant burndowns, pre-emergent and early post emerge. Below is a brief overview of the current dicamba products on the market today, which can be used with Xtend Soybeans.

Always read and follow label directions. Follow proper dicamba stewardship when using these products.

Just because you grow Xtend® soybeans doesn’t mean you need to spray dicamba. To reiterate, it is another tool in the toolbox to combat glyphosate resistant weeds and incorporating multiple modes of effective action allowing us to move away from continuous glyphosate use. We always need to be mindful of dicamba stewardship and spray in the proper conditions. It is always recommended to use Dicamba early in season, in burndowns, pre-emerge or early post-emerge before daytime temperatures get too high. Spraying dicamba too late in the growing season is recipe for off target movement.

Enlist E3™ Soybeans

This past growing season we’ve seen the emergence of Enlist E3™ Soybeans that are available from various seed companies. This new soybean trait brings three herbicide options to the table – 2,4-D + Glyphosate (Roundup) + Glufosinate (Liberty). Similar to the Dicamba system, always plan to use 2,4-D early in season for no-till burndowns, pre-emerge and post-emergent applications. Glufosinate now gives us another tool later in season when Dicamba and 2,4-D shouldn’t be applied which also allows us to add in another mode of effective action on glyphosate resistant weeds. Below is a summary of herbicides that can be applied to Enlist E3™ Soybeans:

Always read and follow label directions. Follow proper trait stewardship when using these products.

Again, just because E3™ soybeans are tolerant to 2,4-D and Liberty, this doesn’t mean we need to spray these products. Liberty provides us with an excellent tool to use later in the season on glyphosate resistant weeds.

LibertyLink®

LibertyLink® soybeans have been available on the market for the last few years and today there a number of varieties with this herbicide trait. Liberty 200SN herbicide can be used in-crop on these soybeans without impacting growth and yield potential of the soybeans.

Always read and follow label directions. Follow proper trait stewardship when using these products.

It is important to know that Glyphosate cannot be applied in-crop to LibertyLink® soybeans.

XtendFlex Soybeans^®

The last trait I want to touch on is one that is on its way to the market – XtendFlex® soybeans. This trait offers us a triple stacked tolerance to Dicamba, Glyphosate & Glufosinate (Liberty). Very similar concept to the E3® system, this also offers us more flexibility later in the growing season to turn to Liberty when the risk of Dicamba off target movement is too high.

These new soybean herbicide traits bring us more opportunity to combat glyphosate resistance. It is important to always use multiple modes of effective action as well as residual chemistries when it comes to weed control in soybeans. New traits also force us to have our boots on the ground being more diligent with know what our neighbours are growing in surrounding fields.

I encourage you to have a conversation with your AGRIS and WANSTEAD Farmers Co-operatives’ Crop Sales Specialist to review what soybean traits you have booked for 2021 and build a comprehensive herbicide program.