Get a Better Handle on Early Weed Control
Interview for Sevita with Andrew Chisholm, Trait and Trait Launch Manager for Bayer
The Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System changes up how soybeans can be grown but it's not a difficult change and it brings with it gains that farmers have long wanted in terms of residual weed control and expanded herbicide options.
"Growers are generally very happy with Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans and that's a great thing," says Andrew Chisholm, Trait and Trait Launch Manager with Bayer. "But I think they'd be even happier with the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System and the additional benefits it can bring to their business."
The Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System has two components: the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® Soybean trait plus built-in tolerance to dicamba and glyphosate.
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, builds on the technology that made Roundup Ready 2 Yield so attractive by adding a trait that makes these varieties tolerant to dicamba. "It's the next generation trait for us," Chisholm says. "And it's an important one because it provides benefits beyond what you get with Roundup Ready 2 Yield, including the ability to apply dicamba for short-term residual activity against weeds."
"In fact, our research shows a good two to three weeks of early-season residual weed control provided by dicamba,” Chisholm says, adding that has shown to provide an average yield gain of 2.4 bushels per acre.
Two enhanced chemistry options that can be used with the system are Roundup Xtend® with VaporGrip® Technology – a glyphosate-dicamba premix, and XtendiMax® with VaporGrip Technology – a dicamba-only product that can be tank mixed with a Roundup-branded product.
"With the Roundup Ready Xtend system, we're offering a complete crop system that's different than what we've had before, but also a bit the same," Chisholm says. "Growers keep the yield potential they like and are familiar with, but now they can spray Dicamba (Group 4) and Roundup WeatherMAX® (Group 9) for complete weed control. It's good resistance management and good weed management all in one."
Weed management strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of resistance, as well as controlling already resistant weed biotypes, are becoming more important as weed resistance concerns rise across the country.
Dicamba has decades of proven performance and provides excellent control of a wide spectrum of broadleaf weeds including glyphosate-resistant weeds, such as Canada fleabane, waterhemp, and giant ragweed.
"Ultimately, it's all about yield potential for soybean growers," he says. "And the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System delivers on that by combining the powerful performance of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans with the option of two enhanced chemistries. This one-two punch gives your crop a head-start against tough weeds and helps you stay there, setting you up for maximum yield potential."
Sevita International offers 15 different Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean varieties ranging from 000.9 to 1.8 RM (2250 - 2975 CHU). Look for the "X" in the variety name to identify our Roundup Ready 2 Xtend products.