When it comes to soybean technology, it’s important for farmers to have solutions that will allow them to maximize yield on every single acre. Each year, farmers are faced with difficult decisions when dealing with tough-to-control weeds. Herbicide resistance has become a major threat to crop production, especially in soybeans. But with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^® soybeans, farmers now have more flexibility and weed control options.

Designed to maximize weed control flexibility, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans offer control of over 270 species of weeds. But because every field and farm is unique, it’s essential to find the right herbicide program to fit your needs. After all, a soybean is only as good as the herbicide system behind it.

Developing an effective soybean herbicide program may be challenging, especially when dealing with glyphosate resistant (GR) weeds such as waterhemp and marestail. The Roundup Ready 2 Xtend system provides effective post-emergence (POST) control of these weeds along with many others. However, POST applications are only one part of a soybean herbicide program. To achieve successful weed control, all the herbicides you apply, either in the burndown, pre-emergence (PRE) or POST applications must work together, using multiple modes of action (MOA) and sites of action (SOA).

Understanding the importance of different herbicide groups or SOA is crucial to maximizing weed control, but determining how to pair products can be a little challenging. To help with this process, Beck's developed a Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Weed Management Guide containing suggested programs with multiple options to fit every farm. This guide is intended to serve as a starting point, and thus, changes may be necessary from operation to operation.

To identify the right program for your farm, there are a few things to consider:

1) What weed spectrum are you up against?

Every herbicide on the market has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the weeds that they control. That’s why it’s important to identify the weeds you’re up against and then select the products that have excellent efficacy in controlling that specific weed. Using multiple MOA and SOA not only broadens the weed spectrum, but also reduces the selection pressure on one specific group of herbicides which decreases the chance of resistant weeds from developing. A burndown in conjunction with a PRE offers a great opportunity to use other SOA that may not be used in your POST trip.

 2) How many trips do you plan to make across the field?

Are you a fan of a two-pass system? Maybe you prefer three? Are you planning on using a burndown? Successful weed control begins with clean fields from the start. This can be accomplished with an effective burndown. To maximize herbicide efficacy on each pass, it’s important to ensure that you’re always using the correct carrier volume. Systemic products will require less carrier volume because they are translocated throughout the plant, but contact products will require greater carrier volume for more coverage because the product is not translocated. Spraying weeds at the proper height can also increase the success of the herbicide application. Always read and follow the label instructions before making applications.

3) What time of year do you want to make your applications?

Do you plan on using an in-season residual? The residual value of a PRE is that it typically lasts around four weeks, however, it will take longer than four weeks for canopy closure to occur. Because canopy closure reduces the amount of light the ground is exposed to, it can reduce new flushes of weeds. Group 15 products such as Dual II Magnum^®, Warrant^® and Zidua^® can be applied in-season and will provide excellent residual control of small seeded broadleaf weeds such as waterhemp and many grasses. In-season residuals will also reduce the amount of late-season escapes, decreasing the amount of seed being added to the soil seed bank.

XtendiMax^® is very effective at controlling GR broadleaf weeds, but spraying the same product multiple times throughout the year must be avoided. While in-season residuals will reduce the need for a second POST trip, not all of the systems listed include XtendiMax as a POST application option. XtendiMax can be used in the POST trip if broadleaf weeds are present, especially Group 2 (ALS) and Group 9 (GR) resistant weeds, but products like Zidua would need to be switched for Warrant when tank mixed with it. Click here to find out which products can be tank mixed with XtendiMax.

CLICK BELOW TO FIND YOUR ROUNDUP READY 2 XTEND HERBICIDE SYSTEM

In addition to the weed management guide, Beck’s agronomist developed six helpful tips for any effective herbicide program.

When selecting your herbicides, you must first look at the weed spectrum on your own farm. Always consider products that have excellent efficacy of the weeds that you face and select as many effective herbicide groups or SOA. It’s important to rotate herbicide SOA and active ingredients every two to three years to ensure these products will remain effective. While XtendiMax is a great tool to use in a herbicide program, it is only one part of the herbicide program. Remember to incorporate other effective herbicide SOA and active ingredients to ensure this technology remains effective for years to come.

Beck’s is an industry leader in providing farmers with the soybean technologies they need to succeed. With relative maturities ranging from 1.1 to 5.1, Beck’s offers Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^® soybean choices that have proven to maximize weed control and increase yields.In 8,413 head-to-head comparisons, Beck’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans out-yielded industry Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans by an average of 1.9 Bu./A. Click here for more information or contact your local Beck’s representative to learn more.

Individual results may vary. Always read and follow label directions. 

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^®, XtendiMax^® and Warrant^® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology, LLC. Dual II Magnum^® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. Zidua^® is a registered trademark of BASF.