Treated and untreated soybeans at Ridgetown, about a week after application. Plots were 30-inch centres, treated as per label instructions at the right stage for application, and under very dry conditions.

The Xtend balancing act

Dicamba-resistant technology works, but it’s not simple and it requires more learning than glyphosate-tolerant systems

Reading Time: 5 minutes The 2016 growing season saw the advent of a new technology — Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, along with its herbicide companion, XtendiMax. The technology had been anticipated for more than five years, particularly by growers in the southern U.S. where resistant weed species and continual use of Roundup Ready soybeans and cotton have been […] Read more

Managing for glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane — and other weeds — is possible, but it will cost farmers more.

Tough news on fleabane

It takes a well thought out plan to keep glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane in check

Reading Time: 6 minutes The world of science can often provide insight into some rather grim realities. But sometimes, fortunately, it can provide more than just insight. It can provide strategic help too. That’s the case with Dr. Peter Sikkema, who opened 2017 by making a presentation on herbicide-resistant weeds at the two-day Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) at the […] Read more


Figure 1. Dicamba drift on a susceptible soybean crop. Symptoms will include cupping of trifoliate leaflets, shortening of internodes and a dark green colour.

Pest Patrol: Xtend soybeans, spray drift and controlling glyphosate-resistant fleabane

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes I want to plant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans this season to control my glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane. But I keep hearing about the increased risk of drift with the dicamba-based herbicides. Is this fear mongering, or do I need to pay special attention when applying herbicides containing dicamba? We can learn a lot about the […] Read more

Table 1: Enlist and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean response one week after application with glyphosate, dicamba, 2,4-D and Liberty (glufosinate). Note that the plant on the left is the control (unsprayed) while the plant to the right has been sprayed with one of the four herbicides.

Pest Patrol: Enlist vs. Extend

#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA

Reading Time: 2 minutes What is the difference between Enlist and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, and how good are they at controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds? The key selling point of each new seed system is that they have tolerance to specific “auxinic” herbicides that traditionally have been used to control weeds in corn and cereals, and in theory should […] Read more


Eastern black nightshade is a weed that seems to hide well, and requires diligent scouting.

Dry weather weed control in IP soybeans

Weed control in IP soybeans is always a challenge. This year, it was nearly impossible… but not on all farms

Reading Time: 5 minutes Good weed control in Eastern Canada’s identity-preserved soybean fields this year appears to be just as patchy as the spring and summer rains, particularly in southern Ontario and parts of Quebec. Even Roundup Ready beans were slow to canopy in between rescue rains and required more in-season attention than usual. Then, as crops headed toward […] Read more

Photo: File

EPA approves Monsanto’s dicamba weed killer

Reading Time: < 1 minute U.S. seeds and agrochemicals maker Monsanto Co. has secured approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a new dicamba-based weed killer designed for its next generation biotech soy and cotton varieties, the company said on Wednesday. While approval had been expected, it is seen as a major step forward for the company’s newest herbicide […] Read more


(Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. agency seeks proof of criminal use of dicamba

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency executed search warrants in parts of southeastern Missouri earlier this month to look for signs of improper use of the herbicide dicamba, the agency said on Tuesday. The searches stemmed from complaints that dicamba, which has only been approved for application on fields before planting season […] Read more

DuPont’s headquarters in Delaware. (DuPont.com)

Monsanto, DuPont sign supply deal for dicamba

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. seed and agrochemical companies Monsanto and DuPont said on Thursday they have signed a multi-year supply agreement for the weed killer dicamba in the U.S. and Canada. Under the deal, whose terms were not disclosed, Monsanto will supply its farm seeds and chemicals rival with the herbicide, which will be […] Read more


(USDA.gov via Flickr)

USDA clears Monsanto, Syngenta corn traits

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will no longer regulate a genetically-modified corn developed by Monsanto to resist dicamba herbicide, the agency said on Wednesday. The move by the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), means it can now be planted without permits or any additional regulatory oversight from […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

China clears Xtend soybean variety for import

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Monsanto said on Feb. 3 it received import approval from China for its new genetically modified Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and will sell the seeds in the U.S. and Canada for the 2016 growing season. China, the world’s biggest soybean importer, does not allow imports of new genetically modified crops until they […] Read more