Farm Progress

Herbicide label is intact and China approvals are coming.

Kurt Lawton

February 10, 2016

4 Min Read
<p>Dow AgroSciences Enlist field specialist Ryan Keller discusses the current regulatory approvals for traited crops Enlist corn, soybeans, cotton and Enlist Duo herbicide. </p>

Now that the circuit court judgment came down in favor of Dow AgroSciences keeping its Enlist Duo herbicide registration, we caught up with Ryan Keller at the Minnesota Ag Expo to learn the latest news.

This Enlist field specialist from southeast Minnesota, speaking to farmers in Mankato, happily reported that the Enlist system will proceed in 2016. “While we await China import approval – which should happen for corn very soon, followed by soybeans – we continue a stewarded launch of Enlist corn and a Field Forward program for soybeans,” Keller says. “We feel it is important to get this technology into the hands of farmers despite some current foreign import approval limitations, so Enlist grain will be fed on farm, and soybeans are grown solely for seed production managed by Dow AgroSciences.”

Enlist Duo

The herbicide package used on all Enlist crops, called Enlist Duo, is a new formulation containing glyphosate and a new 2,4-D choline with Colex-D technology. Keller says research shows up to 90% reduction in drift when Enlist Duo is applied with low-drift nozzles due to the new formulation  resulting in very few driftable fines. Also unlike the old oil or petroleum-based 2,4-D, this water-based formulation has a 96% reduction in volatility, so the spray stays put. Because of its water-based formulation, sprayer cleanout is also much easier with a basic triple-rinse of water to flush the tank and boom.

Application rates range from 3.5 to 4.75 pints/acre, with the higher rate (equals 1 quart rate of each product) recommended for control of the toughest resistant weeds. Spray volume needed is 10 to 15 gal./acre for best results.

Regarding nearby non-Enlist, RR corn or soybean fields, Keller says you can spray right up to the field edge. “Even if the wind favors the above mentioned crops you would still be permitted to spray by label, as long as the wind doesn’t favor off-target movement.”

Enlist corn

Not only does the Enlist corn trait resist 2,4-D and glyphosate, it also has tolerance to the “fops” chemical family in Group 1 herbicides (Assure II, Fusilade, Targa herbicides). Fortunately, the other Group 1 ACCase inhibitors “dim” family cannot be metabolized, so Select Max and Poast remain as effective tools to control volunteer Enlist corn the following year.

The application window for Enlist Duo on corn is from burndown to V8 stage or 30-in. tall corn. The recommended program approach is a preemergence residual herbicide, followed by a timely Enlist Duo post application. Check the label to choose among the 23 labeled nozzles.

Enlist soybeans

Two types of Enlist soybeans will be offered. Enlist soybeans trait insertion occurs using the common breeding stack, and includes the Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait from Monsanto. The second more elite offering, Enlist E3 soybeans, feature a molecular stack insertion (all tolerances put in one insertion) for more efficient breeding success. Enlist E3 soybeans are proprietary to Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies. Both of these offerings have tolerance to 2,4-D, glyphosate (Durango) and glufosinate (Liberty).

Application window in soybeans runs from preplant all the way to R2 or full flower. The recommended program is like corn -- preemergence residual herbicide, followed by a timely Enlist Duo post application.

Farmer Q&A

These questions came up from the farmer audience:

Q: Price of Enlist Duo?

A: $10 per acre, or the same price as a traditional mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate (using an old 2,4-D formulation is off-label and illegal).

Q: Cost of the Enlist trait?

A: We want rapid adoption of the system, so it will be priced competitively, based on the value of controlling resistant weeds.

Q: Based on the pending Dow-DuPont merger, will Enlist be a part of the Pioneer platform?

A: It is unknown at this point.

Q: Will the Enlist program be as good as dicamba?

A: Both will do a good job killing weeds. Farmers need to look at all aspects, including drift/volatility, ease of use, ease of spray cleanout, and more. Plus, 2,4-D has a wider weed control spectrum.

Q: Will this 2,4-D choline cause corn lay down?

A: No, Enlist corn fully metabolizes the herbicide so no damage.

Q: Does 2,4-D choline offer residual control?

A: No, so that’s why we recommend a program with residual herbicides.

Q: Will Enlist Duo separate out if it has to sit in a tank overnight or waiting on a rain delay?

A: Brief agitation would be required, but it stays in suspension, unlike the old 2,4-D.

Q: Can we use air induction nozzles?

A: Yes, there are several AI nozzles on the approved nozzle list.

For more details, check out the product label or the Enlist website

 

About the Author(s)

Kurt Lawton

Kurt Lawton of Eden Prairie, Minn., is a writer and owner of Stellar Content LLC. He is the former editor of Corn+Soybean Digest, a Farm Progress publication.

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