Keeping Crops Healthy and Controlling Pigweed
Each female Palmer pigweed plant can produce as many as 1 million seeds allowing it to rapidly reproduce and spread through a field. In addition, once germinated, these weeds grow an average of 3 inches a day competing with crops like corn and soybeans for essential nutrients.
When dicamba is applied to broadleaf weeds, including Palmer pigweed, the weeds confuse dicamba with their own natural hormones called auxins. In doing so, dicamba affects the plants’ growth by reducing the efficiency of its nutrient intake. In the end, broadleaf weeds do not survive.
Importantly, there is no single solution when it comes to controlling weeds. Dicamba is one tool farmers can use to complement other common and effective products (such as glyphosate-based and other herbicides) and practices (such as cover crops, crop rotation, and tilling).
Similar to glyphosate, the use of dicamba as a part of the farmer’s crop protection toolbox can help reduce the need for tillage—plowing or turning over the soil. Tillage has always been a powerful weed-control tool, but it can contribute to erosion of valuable topsoil. In addition, the process of disturbing the soil releases sequestered carbon into the atmosphere. Using dicamba-based herbicides, farmers can leave their soil intact while the previous year’s crop residue or organic matter remains on top of the soil. This supports soil health and provides a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions associated with tillage.
History of Safe Use and Continued Testing
Dicamba was registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1967 and has been used for decades by farmers and homeowners. Dicamba-based herbicides have a 50-year documented history of safe use when applied according to label directions.
Dicamba has been comprehensively evaluated by regulatory authorities around the world. In the U.S., the EPA requires completion of more than 100 safety studies before pesticides are approved for use. Even after regulatory authorities approve a pesticide for use, they continue to consider new information to assess the safety of registered products.
Monsanto’s dicamba product, XtendiMax® with VaporGrip® Technology, was approved for use by the EPA in November 2016. Before it was approved, the product was comprehensively tested to ensure it could be used safely and effectively.
The Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System is intended to provide farmers more consistent, flexible control of weeds, especially tough-to-manage and glyphosate-resistant weeds, and to help maximize crop yield potential. For more information about Dicamba and the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System, please visit http://www.roundupreadyxtend.com.