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Diversity key to controlling resistant waterhemp

An extension weed specialist says the proliferation of herbicide-resistant waterhemp punctuates the need for farmers to diversify their weed management programs.

Professor Prashant Jha at Iowa State University tells Brownfield dicamba is an important tool for combatting weeds in soybeans.

“But we definitely need to be more proactive in terms of not solely relying on dicamba-only programs, but also using a more diverse weed control program in combination with dicamba.”

He recommends a two-pass, layered residual program like Xtend or Enlist for controlling waterhemp.

“But at the same time we need to be more proactive because 2,4-D resistant waterhemp has been documented.”

Jha says using multiple herbicide sites of action will help preserve the limited technologies farmers have at their disposal.