New soybean traits will be soon be available. Adam Spelhaug,, Peterson Farms Seed agronomist, Harwood, N.D., provides the following guide to the new traits.

Guide To New Soybean Traits

Balance GT soybeans from Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies will offer tolerance to both glyphosate and isoxaflutole (the active ingredient in BalanceFlexx herbicide for corn). These herbicides can be used as a burndown, pre-, or post-applied. BalanceBean will be the new isoxaflutole herbicide labeled for soybean use. This Group 27 HPPD herbicide is part of the family that includes Callisto, Lumax, Capreno, Corvus, and Huskie. BalanceBean will complement the glyphosate by adding residual control and a differing mode of action (MOA). Future additional stacks of this chemistry will include glufosinate (Liberty Group 10), adding a third MOA. Balance is not currently labeled in Minnesota, but Bayer is pursuing that label.  You can see more at: www.balancegtsoybeans.com.

Enlist soybeans from DOW AgroSciences are glyphosate (Group 9 MOA) resistant soybeans that include tolerance to a new formulation of 2,4-D (Group 4 MOA), giving a broader spectrum of control in our soybeans. Enlist soybeans are also tolerant to glufosinate (Liberty), allowing for more diverse weed control. EnlistDuo is the new formulation of 2,4-D, featuring Colex-D technology. EnlistDuo offers ultra-low volatility, reduced drift, decreased odor, and improved handling over older formulations of 2,4-D. I am impressed with the weed control this new formulation provides. The genetics I saw included maturities to a 0.7. You can see more at: www.enlist.com.

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans from Monsanto are the third of the first group of new traits that will be available in our region. Tolerant to both dicamba (Group 4 MOA) and glyphosate, the will be offered in the Roundup Ready 2 genetics currently available. This dicamba is a new formulation with reduced volatility and will be available as a premix (Roundup Xtend) and as a dicamba-only product (XtendiMax). Roundup Xtend and XtendiMax can be used for both pre- and post-emerge applications and will provide up to 14 days of residual control of small seeded broadleaf weeds. Early group 0 maturity soybeans will be available when this trait is released. I expect Xtend to be very effective in dealing with resistant weeds. You can see more at: www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/roundup-ready-xtend-crop-system.aspx.

"While trait knowledge is important, genetics must be the first priority in variety selection," Spelhaug says. "Traits protect the genetics, but good traits will not improve poor genetics. Take time to learn the difference between Balance, Enlist, and Xtend, as doing so may prevent mistakes when applying herbicides. Knowing herbicide modes of action will allow you to rotate herbicides in your crops. This will keep weed resistance at bay and aid in controlling volunteers of these soybeans."

For more information, contact Spelhaug at 866-481-7333 or [email protected].