By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent
 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Dow AgroSciences, a division of the Dow Chemical Co., has announced a new trait technology that’s designed to help solve the problem of glyphosate-resistant weeds. As of March 2, this technology has a name: Enlist Weed Control System.

“The Enlist Weed Control System represents a thrilling accumulation of scientific innovation that will deliver a new, much desired solution for growers,” said Damon Palmer, Dow AgroSciences’ U.S. commercial leader for the new system. “Growers have long embraced herbicide-tolerant trait technology into their farming practices because of the ease of use and performance, but as of recently, present technology has had its challenges.”

Palmer said in a recent grower survey 96 percent said they wanted something that will help them improve on the Roundup (glyphosate) Ready system they already have.

“This technology will be available in elite germplasm,” he said. “Enlist Weed Control System will be stacked with the glyphosate-tolerant trait as well as insect-resistant traits.”

Dow plans to introduce the new trait for corn first, beginning in the spring of 2013, assuming everything goes as planned with the deregulation and registration processes. Later, it plans to introduce the technology for soybeans and, still later, for cotton.

At the same time Dow is introducing its Colex-D technology, which will become part of its 2,4-D lineup of herbicide products. 2,4-D is a mainstay in the world of herbicides; the original patent was issued in 1945. It’s used to protect crops such as wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, potatoes, asparagus, pome fruits, stone fruits and nuts from harmful weeds.

Colex-D-based herbicide will be applied to plants that have the new trait, to kill weeds that have become glyphosate-resistant. The president of Dow AgroSciences talked about the company’s plans last year at a conference, calling the new trait Dow Herbicide Tolerance (DHT).

“DHT will bring an unsurpassed solution for weeds that are hard to control,” said Antonio Galindez, president of Dow AgroSciences, in a published report last May. “We want to see our DHT trait in as many acres as possible.”

The emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds is now well documented. According to the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds, 11 different weeds are known to be resistant to glyphosate in the United States, as of 2010.

“At present there are 21 glyphosate-resistant weeds globally,” said Ian Heap, a weed scientist and director of the survey.

“About half of these glyphosate-resistant weed species evolved resistance in response to repeated glyphosate applications in orchards and non-crop situations; the other half evolved resistance in response to repeated glyphosate applications in Roundup Ready cropping systems.

“The most economically serious and widespread glyphosate-resistant weeds are found in Roundup Ready cropping systems in North and South America. Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth and horseweed are the most widespread in the U.S.A., and other very serious economic threats to growers are glyphosate-resistant waterhemp, ragweed species, ryegrass species, Johnsongrass and Kochia.

“Integrated weed management and the use of mixtures and rotations of herbicides with different modes of action in addition to glyphosate are the current strategies to delay and manage glyphosate-resistant weeds,” said Heap. “New traits like Enlist will enable growers to use alternative herbicide modes of action in crops, and will help them delay and manage glyphosate-resistant weeds.”