Dow AgroSciences unveils Enlist weed control system

A new weed control system aimed for 2013 has been unveiled in Tampa, Florida.

Dow AgroSciences hosted a celebration with growers last night unveiling Enlist™ – new technology that Dow’s Damon Palmer says will be available in elite germplasm, “Growers are seeing an increased prevalence of glyphosate resistant and hard to control weeds on their farms. In fact, three out of five growers today report an increase in difficult to control weeds and glyphosate resistant weeds are found in 26 states in the U.S,” Palmer tells Brownfield, “The glyphosate tolerant cropping system has provided farmers many, many benefits from a convenience standpoint, an agronomic standpoint – and, also, when you look at minimum tillage and no-till – environmental benefits. So, this system (Enlist™) will build on that glyphosate system and provide exceptional performance.”

Enlist is designed for corn, soybeans and cotton and is pending regulatory approval.

Arkansas grower Malcolm Haigwood says weed resistance is a major problem for his operation as many farmers in the southern states are experiencing, “We’re having to go back and we’re having to use even mechanical means in order to extract these weeds and that’s something I thought we never would have to have done.” Haigwood says he’s hopeful Enlist will provide solutions although he’s cautiously optimistic about its use with cotton.

Gordon Wassenaar is an Iowa corn and soybean grower who’s on the National Corn Grower’s biotech committee. Wassenaar says, “Even in my area we’re starting to find some weed resistance, weeds we haven’t been able to kill with our older herbicides and I think this is going to be a real innovation in modern weed control.”  Wassenaar says he’s been able to control the weeds so far with herbicide combinations and rotations.  He says it’s an ever increasing problem for U.S. growers and “when it really gets into the Corn Belt like it is in the southern states it’s going to be a major, major problem.”

DowAgrosciences will reveal more details about Enlist at Commodity Classic which runs this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Tampa.