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Researchers test new herbicides, sprayer technology

A weed scientist says field research this year is looking at new chemical and mechanical technologies.

Dr. Rodrigo Werle is with the University of Wisconsin. He tells Brownfield, “We’re looking at some new potential active ingredients that may become available for our growers in a couple of years down the road.”

Werle says his team is also testing new sprayer technology that might be on the market as early as next year. “They have the ability of detecting weeds where they are in the crops, so in that scenario, you have the ability to spray the herbicide only where the weeds are in the field, and that’s fascinating. That’s all I can share here today, but it’s just some fascinating technology that’s going to be available to our growers here in the near future.”

Werle says his team is also doing several studies on pre-emerge herbicides and weed resistance to herbicides.  He says many of their plots were planted last week.