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Many conventional herbicide products on the market perform well and have acceptable crop tolerance. However, herbicide-tolerant genes add value in several special cases. The Northern Genetic Family has difficulty establishing roots in cool soils. When stressed by cool weather, Northern types struggle to translocate sugars to the roots for new root growth, causing a purple coloration of the stalk above the soil surface. If sprayed with most herbicides at this stage, injury can occur.
Northern and Early Health types are sensitive to growth-stimulant herbicides. These two genetic types are combined in many popular northern-area hybrids. Roundup Ready® and LibertyLink® systems add value because crop safety is enhanced in genetic backgrounds with this sensitivity. This is critical in northern areas where spraying frequently occurs under less-than-optimal conditions due to cool, wet weather.
Western genetics are short in plant height, which causes a problem in the western Corn Belt where lower plant populations are used. Lowering populations decreases interplant competition and overall plant height. With the reduction in leaf area comes a reduction in soil-surface shading. This lack of competition for sunlight by the crop increases weed pressure, especially later in the growing season when most herbicide treatments are off-label. Roundup Ready® and LibertyLink® production systems offer total postemergent weed-control solutions for late-season weed problems.
- Genetic herbicide tolerance also has a special application for no-till.
- With no soil tillage, Roundup Ready® and LibertyLink® production systems offer total postemergent weed-control solutions at least equal in efficacy to most conventional preplant systems.
- Herbicide-tolerant gene systems can enhance no-till when combined with the right no-till genetics.
- With increasing fuel prices, the economics of no-till improve.
- No-till systems with herbicide-tolerant genetics and postemergent herbicides provide a lower-cost alternative.