GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 29, 2026 — As mesotrione-tolerant soybean technologies move closer to commercialization, researchers say the industry has a limited window to influence one of the biggest factors shaping their future success: the weed seedbanks those technologies will inherit.
The urgency comes as university researchers continue documenting resistance across the herbicide groups growers currently use to manage waterhemp. Earlier this year, University of Illinois researchers confirmed glufosinate-resistant waterhemp and reported that Illinois waterhemp now shows documented resistance to every postemergence herbicide group previously effective against it in corn and soybean production.
"Mesotrione-tolerant soybeans represent an exciting advancement because they add another tool to the weed-control toolbox," said Eric Palmer, Ph.D., herbicide technical product lead at Syngenta. "But these technologies won't arrive in empty fields. The weed populations they encounter will reflect years of seed production and herbicide selection pressure. That's why reducing weed densities today can help strengthen weed-control opportunities tomorrow."
Many weed scientists consider seedbank management one of the greatest opportunities to influence future resistance outcomes. Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds per plant, allowing resistant populations to expand rapidly when escapes occur. Each season that limits seed production helps reduce the populations future technologies must manage.
"The biggest opportunity isn't preserving a single herbicide," Palmer said. "It's reducing the number of resistant weed seed in the soil seedbank that future technologies encounter. Every waterhemp or other weed that fails to produce seed today helps create a stronger starting point for weed control in the future."
Researchers continue encouraging integrated soybean weed-management programs that combine residual herbicides, multiple effective sites of action and cultural practices to improve soybean weed control while reducing resistant populations. These approaches help preserve multiple weed-control options while supporting the long-term effectiveness of both current and emerging technologies.
Syngenta recommends integrated weed-management programs that include overlapping residual herbicides for season-long control. Tendovo® preemergence herbicide helps stop weeds before they emerge and supports rapid canopy closure, while Dual Magnum® herbicide helps reinforce postemergence programs and manage late-season weed pressure.
For more information about Tendovo and integrated approaches to soybean weed management, visit SyngentaUS.com/TendovoWins.
Media Contacts
Frank Kminek
641-425-3291
frank.kminek@syngenta.com
Aidan McGreevy
410-474-9983
amcgreevy@gscommunications.com
Web Resources
Pictures
More information
SyngentaUS.com/TendovoWins
Syngenta Newsroom
Syngenta U.S.
Thrive
About Syngenta
Syngenta is a leading science-based agricultural technology (AgTech) company, creating Breakthroughs for farmers, in every field™ to help meet the demands of modern agriculture. Using cutting-edge innovation and guided by its Sustainability Goal of higher yields with lower impact, Syngenta helps farmers to grow resilient, healthy crops that can feed a growing global population, while protecting and enhancing the planet. Syngenta is part of Syngenta Group, headquartered in Switzerland. To find out more about how Syngenta creates breakthroughs for farmers around the world, read our stories and follow us on social media.
The content of this release is for information purposes only. This release is not, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or other property interests
To learn more, visit www.syngenta.com. Follow us on X at www.x.com/Syngenta and www.x.com/SyngentaUS and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
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 factor
© 2026 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. Tendovo®, Dual Magnum® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective third-party owners.