New Herbicide Technology – Where Is It?

A complaint you will often hear when it comes to resistance problems is, “Why hasn’t any new technology been developed?”  The answer is that it takes tremendous resources, time and effort to discover a new herbicide chemistry.  In fact, once a new chemistry is developed, it takes at least a decade to test it and approve it for use before it becomes available for market. 

This does not mean that companies like Syngenta aren’t working diligently on developing new herbicide technology, but the reality is that all the easy ones have been found. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to do the best possible job protecting the effectiveness of what is available today.  Glyphosate is a one in 100 year discovery, so using it with care is essential.

Glyphosate-tolerant technology came to the aid of growers at a time when ALS-resistance was growing at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, there is no “silver bullet” in the pipeline to help alleviate the pressures of glyphosate resistance. Preserving this technology is essential to the simplistic, convenient, and cost effective weed control methods many have come to rely on.

What do you believe are next steps in fighting glyphosate resistance? What tools are available for growers to use? What are your expectations from chemical companies?