BASF seeking US registration for new Engenia herbicide

Date:04-11-2012

Farmers are one step closer to an innovative solution that will help manage tough weeds, maintain advances in conservation tillage practices and enhance productivity. BASF Crop Protection announced the submission to regulatory agencies in the United States of the registration application for Engenia™ herbicide, a technologically advanced dicamba formulation.

Farmers will be able to use Engenia, in combination with other herbicides and agronomic practices, in an effective, weed control system enabled by dicamba-tolerant crops currently in development.

"Farmers fighting against herbicide resistance have an important new tool in Engenia which, field research shows, will offer excellent weed control and crop safety, as well as low-volatility characteristics for improved on-target application,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF.

Engenia will deliver broad-spectrum burndown of more than 100 annual broadleaf weeds, including tough, glyphosate-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, marestail, velvetleaf, morningglory and giant ragweed. In fact, field research demonstrates that Engenia is more effective than 2, 4-D on many problem weeds, such as velvetleaf, marestail, giant ragweed and morningglory.

A registration decision by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Engenia is anticipated in a parallel time frame with commercialization of a dicamba-tolerant soybean system.

Commercialization of the dicamba-tolerant system for soybeans is expected in the U.S. mid-decade, with cotton, corn and canola to follow.

"Farmers have only a few post-applied herbicide options in soybeans,” Rea said. “Engenia offers an additional site of action for post-emergence control, and can also be used preemergence in dicamba-tolerant soybeans, giving farmers maximum application flexibility to target key weeds.”

As the industry’s leading dicamba innovator, BASF utilized its technical expertise to develop Engenia, which offers improvements in performance and physical characteristics of dicamba that further minimize potential volatility. As with any post-emergence herbicide, proper application techniques are critical for managing spray drift and maximizing on-target performance.

BASF is committed to herbicide best practices for sustainable use of its products, including stewardship programs that encourage proper application and integrated weed resistance management practices. BASF will provide ongoing education to support these best practices and on-target application, including the On Target Application Academy, which provides information to growers who self-apply herbicides to help them get the most out of every application.

"With innovative solutions, technical support and educational tools, BASF is a grower’s No. 1 partner for managing weed resistance by providing more corn and soybean herbicide sites of action than any other crop protection company,” Rea said. “The registration application for Engenia, as well as the recently launched OpTill® PRO herbicide and Armezon™ herbicide, demonstrates our commitment to provide growers with new chemistries to maximize their yield potential and proactively manage resistant weeds.”