The glyphosate-dominated herbicide market of previous years is declining. In its place is a more diversified market for corn and soybeans. Crop protection companies now offer a new vision of crop care that includes old chemistries, new formulations and unique combinations of both. As a result, today’s herbicide market is robust with many choices to help growers protect the yield potential of their corn and soybean crops. Here’s a look at what’s new from the crop protection companies.

Monsanto

Warrant herbicide is an encapsulated formulation of acetochlor, which can be applied on soybeans from the first trifoliate to the first reproductive stage. It provides up to 40 days of residual control of grasses and broadleaf weeds, including waterhemp, lambsquarters, barnyardgrass and black nightshade. Warrant offers control of ALS- and glyphosate-resistant weeds.

“We test marketed Warrant in 2010 and had some outstanding results,” says Matt Helms, U.S. crop protection marketing lead for Monsanto. “It is ideal for an over-the-top application in soybeans as well as postemerge application on corn. Its wide application window gives producers added flexibility in their weed control options.”

Helms says that while there is an increased interest in preemerge herbicides, there still is a segment of the market demanding a product that can provide postemerge options. “For producers who have time constraints at planting, using Warrant early post in a tankmix with Roundup offers excellent weed control,” Helms says. “Warrant also fits in well with a post application in corn, especially when corn gets past 12 in. and other chemical options are limited.”

TripleFlex herbicide is an acetochlor premix formulation that can be applied to preemerge and postemerge Roundup Ready corn. It contains three modes of action for control of ALS-, glyphosate- and triazine-resistant weeds, has a flexible application window — from preplant up to 11-in. corn — and provides broad-spectrum control of more than 60 grass and broadleaf species, including pigweed, lambsquarters, waterhemp, velvetleaf and ragweed.

“Retailers are stocked up for 2011 with this product,” Helms says. “It’s a great product for corn growers and offers a non-atrazine option for producers.”

Valent

Registration for Fierce herbicide, a new residual for corn and soybeans, is pending, and Valent expects the product to be available for the 2011 growing season. Fierce contains flumioxazin (the active ingredient found in the Valor herbicide) and pyroxasulfone. The herbicide can be applied in the spring up to seven days before planting corn and up to three days after planting soybeans. It can also be applied in the fall. Fierce provides residual control of weeds, including glyphosate-, ALS- and triazine-resistant Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, dandelion, marestail, annual nightshades, pigweed species and annual grasses.

DuPont Crop Protection

The company is expanding the availability of Prequel, a corn herbicide premix that contains the active ingredients rimsulfuron and isoxaflutole. Prequel provides contact plus residual grass and broadleaf control in conventional and herbicide-resistant corn programs. “We are expanding Prequel outside the three "I" states,” says Jeff Carpenter, corn portfolio manager for DuPont. “It is a versatile product that can be mixed with other registered herbicides, or can stand alone.” A dry formulation, Prequel can be applied at 1 to 2 oz./acre.

Awaiting regulatory approval (which is expected by early 2011) is Realm Q, a corn herbicide designed for early postemerge application to control small weeds on contact and to give residual control. “We are targeting the Midwest, but the product will have no label restrictions for other areas of the country,” Carpenter says. Realm Q is a dry product with a use rate of 4 oz./acre. It targets broadleaf weeds, including waterhemp, velvetleaf and common ragweed. The “Q” identifies the product as including built-in safener technology.

LeadOff herbicide is targeted to the mid-south market for burndown plus residual control of grasses and broadleaf weeds, including marestail, annual bluegrass, henbit and other winter annuals. It contains rimsulfuron and thifensulfuronm and can be applied in late fall and early spring, greater than 30 days preplant, to soybeans. It also can be applied preplant to field corn. LeadOff is a dry, water-dispersible granule formulation and can be tank mixed with appropriate burndown herbicides, including glyphosate, glufosinate, paraquat, 2,4-D LVE or dicamba, to broaden the weed control spectrum. LeadOff is awaiting EPA registration.

Abundit Extra is a glyphosate-based herbicide that contains 4 lbs./gal. of the active ingredient glyphosate, in the form of its isopropylamine salt. It is for use in Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, for reduced tillage and fallow systems, and for many non-crop areas. It can be applied as a replant burndown in the fall or spring, preemergence burndown, postemergence to glyphosate-tolerant corn and soybeans, and pre- or postharvest. Abundit Extra is not available in all states.

FMC

Authority XL (sulfentrazone) from FMC offers preemerge and burndown chemistries to control a broad spectrum of winter and summer annuals. FMS says studies have shown that, used in the fall, Authority XL tankmixed with Rage D-Tech and Roundup PowerMax herbicides provided almost 100% control of weeds, including chickweed, henbit, lambsquarters, marestail and pennycress. Spring application provides control of weeds such as common ragweed, giant ragweed, common lambsquarters, common colklebur and common waterhemp. A reduced rate of 3.2 to 5.0 oz./acre can be used as a foundation for burndown and residual weed control in Roundup Ready or LibertyLink soybean systems. For non-genetically modified soybeans and glyphosate-resistant weed populations, a full rate of Authority XL at 5.0 to 9.6 oz./acre is recommended.

BASF

Coming on the heels of the company’s successful launch of the Kixor family of herbicide products, BASF is introducing Verdict herbicide. It’s a name change from the Integrity herbicide, but includes an expanded label use for soybeans.

“Verdict is the only grass and broadleaf preemergence herbicide labeled for corn and soybeans,” says Bryan Perry, Kixor product manager at BASF. The Kixor technology controls more than 70 broadleaf weeds and offers an additional mode of action to manage resistance to glyphosate, ALS inhibitors and triazines.