Companies continue to create more options for farmers to rid soybean fields of resistant weeds. UPL released its latest herbicide product that offers extended control of resistant broadleaf weeds.

James Coday, UPL strategic marketing manager, said the company’s latest product, Preview 2.1 SC Herbicide, provides 10-14 days more control than seen from standard treatments on the market today. This new offering adds a premix to the company’s offerings to help control resistant weeds.

“UPL has a lot of single active ingredient products,” he explained during the 2022 Commodity Classic, “and we have a nice portfolio of soybean herbicides as well, but this premix is what we needed for growers.”

Multiple modes of action

Coday shared that one of the biggest challenges in soybean growers’ fields is controlling pigweed species, specifically Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, which show resistance to many postemergent herbicides.

Preview 2.1 formulation contains a unique 2-to-1 ratio of active ingredients metribuzin (Group 5) and sulfentrazone (Group 14), which Coday explained delivers a concentrated preemergent or fall burndown residual herbicide with two modes of action in a convenient liquid formulation. Metribuzin is widely known for its effectiveness on waterhemp.

James Coday is the strategic marketing manager for UPL North America.

“These are products growers are familiar with,” Coday added, “but it’s really a unique kind of formulation to be able to get it in the liquid form. It will offer convenience to growers.”

Its novel suspension concentrated formulation technology from UPL maintains product stability until it reaches the sprayer tank, where it becomes a tankmix partner with other herbicides and additives. Preview 2.1 herbicide can be used to treat conventional and traited soybean acres.

Resistant weed control

This new herbicide controls weeds early in the season and protects the crop with residual to limit a second flush of weeds, Coday said. In addition to pigweed species, Preview 2.1 herbicide also provides control of kochia, morningglory, nightshade, velvetleaf and purslane, among others.

There are limited supplies of Preview 2.1 herbicide for the 2022 growing season. Coday said it will be available to growers in Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.

“This is a great year for growers to try Preview 2.1,” he added, suggesting they do their own on-farm research and split a field for application. “It is about them experiencing the handling and convenience of the product, along with watching how it performs in their fields.”

After this year’s soft launch, UPL’s new herbicide will be available in 2023 for all soybean farmers.

Coday said farmers can look to Preview 2.1 as one tool in their weed resistance management strategy. “Ultimately, resistance management, whether you’re experiencing it today or in the future, you need to be thinking about a program approach,” he said. “How do you make sure that you have a good foundation from beginning to end, and Preview 2.1 is an option for farmers to go out and execute their plan.”