Farm Progress

Pre-emerge application of XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology can increase ease and flexibility of weed management later in the season.

6 Min Read
Greg Covington’s field, 21 days after an in-crop application of XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology.

With 2,000 acres of cotton to plant in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, Greg Covington works hard to make things run smoothly during this critical time of the season. The last thing he wants to deal with is weeds in young cotton. His “start clean early” strategy helps keeps planting moving and makes weed management easier and more flexible as the season progresses.

 
Greg Covington of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, in front of his cotton field planted with Deltapine® Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton, recently sprayed with XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology.

Looking for better weed control options to manage resistant pigweeds, Covington planted DP 1538 B2XF and DP 1646 B2XF, two Deltapine® Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton varieties that allowed him to add labeled dicamba products to his pre-emerge residual program. He is pleased with the results.

“If you look today, you do not see grass or broadleaf weeds,” he said on May 9, two weeks after making pre-emerge applications on his earliest-planted fields. “I believe in getting fields clean early to help make weed management easier down the road. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology appears to work very well on small-sized weeds.”

Covington’s fields were burned down 30 days prior to planting with one pint of Goal® 2XL herbicide, 22 ounces of Roundup PowerMAX® herbicide and one pint of 2,4-D herbicide. His cotton planting began on April 15, and some fields had small pigweeds emerging at that time. With his John Deere® MaxEmerge® planter, Covington broadcasted 12 ounces of XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology and three pints of Warrant® Herbicide.

“In my opinion, the Warrant Herbicide is much softer on young cotton than other products you could use,” he said. “Fields that have been planted for two to three weeks are clean after the pre-emerge application. I believe the dicamba product offers some residual control, and I know the Warrant Herbicide gives me several days of residual activity on pigweeds.”

As soon as weeds begin to appear in his fields again, Covington plans to make an in-crop application of XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology, Warrant Herbicide and Roundup PowerMAX herbicide for grasses in his Deltapine cotton. He said his goal is to have dicamba down at least once pre-emerge and once postemerge. He believes cotton varieties with XtendFlex® technology will allow him to stop relying on hotter chemistries later in the season to kill problematic weeds.

“After burndown, if we have a wet spring, we’ll get several broadleaf weeds that can escape early. Before XtendFlex technology, we did not have the option to use dicamba at planting to help keep those weeds back,” said Covington. “In the past, we had to use other products (Reflex® herbicide and DuPont™ Cotoran® 4L herbicide) that are real hard on young cotton, especially when you get cool nights. I am glad we now have something to use that is soft on the young cotton as a pre-emerge and will kill broadleafs.”

When making applications, Covington says stay smart and be aware of the surroundings.

“We farm a lot of acres, and if someone is farming a field across the road from us, we will not plant and spray when the wind is blowing toward that field,” he said. “We just move to another field and it is not an issue. Cotton with XtendFlex technology is an easier way to help keep fields clean as long as you are aware of your surroundings, your neighbor’s crops and wind speed and direction. Don’t run too much pressure through the lines. You don’t want it misting across the road. You want the droplets to go downward. I’ve had no mixing problems like we’ve had with other chemicals we’ve used in the past that clog up nozzles.”

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ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR USE ON PESTICIDE LABELING.  IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba or glyphosate are approved for in-crop use with Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION.  May not be approved in all states. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton.

Bollgard II® XtendFlex® cotton contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Contact your Monsanto dealer or refer to Monsanto’s Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Only commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product.

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state.

Roundup Technology® includes Monsanto's glyphosate-based herbicide technologies. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Warrant® Herbicide is not registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions. The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local Monsanto dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state.

Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.

Always read and follow IRM, where applicable, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. Bollgard II®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, Roundup PowerMAX®, Roundup Technology®, VaporGrip®, Warrant®, XtendFlex® and XtendiMax® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Deltapine® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® is a registered trademark of Bayer. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2017 Monsanto Company.

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