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Effective weed management tops considerations for maximizing soybean yield potential


The diverse soybean herbicide portfolio from Syngenta offers proven defense against evolving weed resistance to help preserve yield potential

GREENSBORO, N.C., USA, January 28, 2021 – Soybean growers across the U.S. have been evaluating their 2020 crop yields to make input decisions for next season. Seed selection is often made first; and with more trait options available this year, Syngenta knows growers are facing the challenge of selecting corresponding herbicides that can best protect their seeds’ full genetic yield potential.

Syngenta recently spoke to university agricultural researchers who reinforced the importance of a strong weed resistance management plan and explained the impact such a plan can have on soybean yield potential.

"Having the best crop genetics is like having the keys to a fast car," said Sarah Lancaster, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension specialist at Kansas State University. "Agronomics and fertility are like the gas in the tank. Having weeds is like having a leak in that tank."

A key method for maximizing yield potential is to use a combination of cultural and chemical practices to effectively manage weeds and prevent them from going to seed. This means choosing practices such as tillage and narrow-row spacing along with a full-season herbicide program that contains multiple effective sites of action.

Prashant Jha, Ph.D., associate professor and extension weed specialist at Iowa State University, suggests such an integrated strategy that combines herbicide and cultural approaches. "To delay or manage herbicide resistance, integrate some of the cultural strategies, like high seeding rates, reducing row spacing to promote early canopy closure and use of cover crops in integration with herbicide programs. Full rates of herbicides, multiple effective sites of action and a combination of soil residual herbicides are the strategies to go with."

This year, growers have even more choices to make as new traits are available for planting. "In recent years, new traits have come to market that provide growers even more options for rotating their herbicides to new effective sites of action," said Pete Eure, Syngenta herbicide technical lead. "The Syngenta portfolio of soybean herbicides can be used regardless of the trait system — from burndown through post-emergence. This gives growers the flexibility to choose their herbicide based on product performance and agronomic value for their specific field, all in combination with sound cultural practices."

When developing a weed management program, growers should consider the value their inputs make on their bottom line.

"So many folks are focused on cost per acre with weed control,” said Bill Johnson, Ph.D., professor of weed science at Purdue University. “They really need to think about it in terms of cost per bushel."

In fact, studies indicate that for every day growers are late with their herbicide application beyond the critical period, they lose as much as 1% of their soybean yield*. "There's a period of time, which we call the critical period, when the plant is most susceptible to emerged weeds in terms of yield loss," said Clarence Swanton, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, Canada. "The earlier the weeds emerge and the smaller the crop, the greater the impact."

Eure agreed. "The way to maximize your yield potential is to have the flexibility to use the right products applied at the right time to deliver the best results locally," he said.

Growers should also anticipate what effect the actions they take now will have on future crop yield, and minimizing herbicide resistance can be a good place to start.

"If weed management is a battle, preventing additions to the soil seed bank effectively reduces the size of the opponent's forces, giving the farmer the upper hand," Lancaster said.

To help win the battle against tough and resistant weeds, the Syngenta soybean portfolio includes effective premixes that complement any trait platform. Boundary® 6.5 EC, BroadAxe® XC and Prefix® herbicides each contain multiple effective sites of action with long-lasting residual to give soybeans their best shot at growing in a weed-free field. Prefix, Sequence® and Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology herbicides can provide overlapping post-emergence residual control to help keep soybeans clean through canopy and beyond. Tavium, the market’s first dicamba herbicide premix, recently received a registration extension by the EPA for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans.

For more tips about fighting herbicide resistance and information on finding the right herbicide for your trait, view the soybean herbicide program planning tool. Join the conversation online — connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social.

About Syngenta 
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on X at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

Media Contacts:
David Pinon
336-632-7504
david.pinon@syngenta.com

Michael Santos 
919-870-5718
msantos@gscommunications.com

Web Resources:
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BroadAxe XC
Prefix
Resistance Fighter
Sequence
Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology
Know More, Grow More
Syngenta Newsroom
Syngenta U.S.
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This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as ‘expect’, ‘would’, ‘will’, ‘potential’, ‘plans’, ‘prospects’, ‘estimated’, ‘aiming’, ‘on track’ and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

*Based on 1% yield loss per day when application is delayed beyond critical period (up to V3**). Bob Hartzler, Iowa State University. 
**Swanton et. al, Weed Science, Vol. 56, No. 1.

©2021 Syngenta. Syngenta 410 Swing Road Greensboro, NC, 27409. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology is a Restricted Use Pesticide. For use by certified applicators only. Boundary®, Prefix®, Resistance Fighter®, Sequence®, Tavium® and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. BroadAxe® is a registered trademark of FMC Corporation. VaporGrip® is a registered trademark of, and used under license from, Monsanto Technology, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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