Corteva announced several new and upcoming plant health products in an early morning press event on the first day of the Farm Progress Show, held last week in Decatur, IL.

“Corteva is focused on increased farm productivity,” says Adriana Ratterman, vice president of the eastern commercial unit. “We look at innovation as our future. How do we get to 300-bushel soybeans? That is what we are trying to do, working with farmers in their fields.”

Here’s a quick look at the products being rolled out, now and in the near future:

Agronomic updates

A panel of experts provided fresh agronomic advice and updates on crop threats. Soybean cyst nematode remains the number one soybean pest and is present now in nearly all U.S. soybean growing regions. “It’s an invisible pest so it doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” says Liz Knutson, U.S. soybean portfolio marketing lead with Pioneer, a Corteva brand.  The group’s best advice: seed treatments and crop rotation if pressure threatens yields. Corteva inked an agreement with BASF in 2022 to bolster protection and provide nematode resistant soybeans, she adds.

The focus wasn’t all just soybeans, though. “Tar spot has been the boogeyman disease in the Corn Belt recently,” says Adam Theis, Pioneer U.S. corn portfolio marketing lead. “Environment plays a role. High humidity, cool, wet conditions, and 7-plus hours of leaf wetness from long dew periods can spread the disease quickly.”

Pioneer uses a scoring system to look at its hybrids and rank them on tar spot effectiveness, so it’s something to discuss with your seed dealer. “Seed selection is important, so look for strong resistance to tar spot,” he says. “Scout early, and be prepared to apply one or more targeted fungicide applications. Then monitor fields and prioritize early harvest as needed.”

Corteva officials reported that Enlist E3 was the number one selling U.S. soybean technology with over 55% market share. Yield and flexibility were the key drivers of success, says Eric Scherder, U.S. crop protection launch leader. “The varieties are tolerant to 2,4-D, glyphosate and glufosinate. Multiple modes of action are a key success strategy. It’s an easy to use system that’s flexible to incorporate within your operation, and it’s neighbor friendly,” he says. “It won’t hurt your neighbor’s fields or the environment.”

Weed control options include Enlist One and Enlist Duo, tank mixes to get multiple modes of action for both burn down and in-season control. Enversa is another option. It’s a postemergence product that will extend control up to canopy closure. For Enlist Corn, Power Core Enlist is an above ground control product for pests like black cutworm, European corn borer, fall armyworm and southwestern corn borer.

“Multiple modes of action bring you cleaner fields and less resistance,” concludes Scherder.