Herbicides

When Mikey Taylor broke the century mark with dicamba-tolerant soybeans, yielding over 100 bu. per acre, he did so in straight-laced fashion, in direct contrast to the dicamba debacle of 2016.

A robotic pigweed killer may provide a 90% reduction in chemical use, maintenance of tractor speed at 6 mph, and the polar opposite of broadcast spraying.

If it’s green, it goes. A new weed technology uses a combination of infrared, sensors and nozzles to detect plants and aim a blast of herbicide at a spot the size of a nickel. WEEDit is an automatic plant detection technology that allows chemical application solely to green matter, rather than spraying bare dirt, all while the sprayer rolls at 15 mph, light of day or dark of night.

Reducing herbicide usage by 97% in pre-emergence and 88% in post-emergence spraying, Greeneye Technology might be the ‘next-big-thing’ in sprayer technology.

EPA said there was little risk to most people from exposure to dicamba, though it identified six additional instances in which workers handling the herbicide should wear a respirator along with the required outfit.

An Oregon case marks the latest in a long line of lawsuits the company has had to contend with in the past few years. Most of the 138,000 cases have come out of the U.S. residential lawn and garden marketplace.

Experts say using less herbicide, or cutting the rate of product per acre, isn’t a good solution.

Post-emergent herbicide supplies can be harder to find this year. Industry professionals recommend making a plan and considering a new approach to weed management to get ahead this growing season.

Auxin herbicides are devastating to sensitive crops, know your risk.

A new report by EPA shows despite increased restrictions on dicamba, more than 3,500 issues were reported this year with dicamba drifting onto other crops. Three grower groups say the data could have significant gaps.