By Jim Steadman
They say good fences make good neighbors, but these days, on-target herbicide applications also can help make growers good neighbors. Cotton growers planting PhytoGen cottonseed with the Enlist trait will be able to experience the minimal drift and low volatility of Enlist Duo herbicide, pending registration for use on Enlist cotton. Enlist Duo is not yet registered for use on Enlist cotton.
Enlist Duo herbicide combines a new 2,4-D choline with glyphosate. It features Colex-D technology, which provides several important benefits:
- Near-zero volatility
- Minimized potential for physical drift
- Low odor
- Improved handling characteristics
An important factor in grower acceptance of this landmark technology is the fact that it will stay on target.
Bradley Moore, a Tennessee grower of PhytoGen cottonseed with the Enlist trait, expects Enlist Duo herbicide will feature substantially limited drift and near-zero volatility.
“My expectation is that Enlist Duo will not move like the old 2,4-D,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of the tests; it looks like it’s going to be a really good product. The small to zero buffer with Enlist is going to be a big plus for us.”
Georgia grower Jonathan Mann also planted PhytoGen cottonseed with the Enlist trait this summer. He anticipates Enlist Duo herbicide will help provide even better control of problem weeds than glyphosate and glufosinate did this year. “We look forward to using Enlist Duo in the future,” he says. “It gives us another mode of action. We’ve used 2,4-D in the past, and it’s very effective. We look forward to using 2,4-D choline.”
Ralph Lassiter, Enlist field specialist for the Southeast, notes the registration of Enlist Duo herbicide on cotton will provide additional help to control difficult weeds, including Palmer amaranth, marestail and common ragweed.
“Enlist Duo will offer Enlist cotton growers two modes of action, with glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline,” he says. “Cotton growers need Enlist Duo. It will provide a concrete solution to meet their weed control needs.”
Three modes of action for unmatched weed control
Enlist cotton offers tolerance to Enlist Duo herbicide and is stacked with Genuity Roundup Ready Flex and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. In addition, Enlist cotton offers a third weed control option by providing full tolerance to glufosinate. This means growers will have the option of using three different modes of action, pending regulatory approval of Enlist Duo on Enlist cotton, to manage hard-to-control and resistant weeds.
Mann has seen effective weed control this year with the addition of a glufosinate application. It’s just one reason he’s happy with the new PhytoGen brand variety.
“We applied one treatment of glufosinate at a label rate and saw 100 percent tolerance across the field,” Mann says of his postemergence treatment. “We didn’t see any burn, any cosmetic damage whatsoever. Having glufosinate tolerance with Enlist cotton gives us another mode of action within our weed management plan.”
The combination of postemergence herbicides coupled with a residual preemergence herbicide will provide growers an unparalleled program approach to weed control. Using a program approach to manage resistant and hard-to-control weeds will help growers sustain the most effective herbicide technologies for use on future crops.
“Glufosinate is an effective mode of action on tough weeds,” says Jonathan Siebert, Ph.D., Enlist field sales leader. “It could be a key component of growers’ postemergence weed control programs.”
A look toward harvest
Mann and many other growers throughout the Cotton Belt who planted Enlist cotton are having positive experiences and are looking forward to increasing their use of the Enlist system. They are getting an up-close look at how the cottonseed’s superior genetics and tolerance to glufosinate have led to a promising harvest.
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