LibertyLink: Your Next Weed Management Tool
With weed resistance rapidly developing throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas, LibertyLink soybeans are gaining increased interest with regional growers. And rightfully so–LibertyLink is an excellent alternative to glyphosate and is a great option to introduce another mode of action into your rotation.
Most farmers are still primarily using a glyphosate resistance weed control program. It’s easy to understand that if problem weeds do slip through, dirty fields will soon follow. Just one weed per year can result in 2,500 plants the following year. Do the math, and that is over six million plants just a short three years later. Obviously, the spread of resistant weeds can quickly get out of control, exceeding a person’s management capabilities.
We have been carefully watching the weed resistance problem gain momentum as it has moved from the deep south through the Midwest and now into our part of the world. Common Ragweed, Giant Ragweed, Waterhemp, and Kochia have all been identified in our region as resistant to glyphosate. This summer, I noticed many fields with these weeds poking through the canopy.
We first became interested in resistant weeds almost a decade ago, after a personal visit to Arkansas opened our eyes to the potential problem. Although we hadn’t yet seen resistance in the north, we recognized the need for another rotational tool for weed management in our region, and we added LibertyLink soybeans to our testing programs. That was 2006 – and we’ve been working with them ever since.
We offer a full lineup of LibertyLink varieties across maturities. Our research trials over the past four years have proven that LibertyLink soybeans have the genetics to compete with any of the Roundup Ready varieties on the market. They also include agronomic traits to handle our variable soil conditions and have IDC tolerance and Soybean Cyst Nematode resistance. LibertyLink soybeans also control volunteer RR crops from the previous year, including corn and canola. We saw excellent control in the fields we examined this year.
Liberty herbicide for LL soybeans is the only alternative to glyphosate on the market for complete weed control. I have been using Liberty since it became available in the mid-90s with Bt corn. It fits better with soybeans because we spray in warmer conditions. There are tank-mix options for grass control issues, if they arise. It’s important to note that the Liberty system must be managed differently than RR beans. Applying 15 gallons of water and 2-3 lbs. of AMS per acre will provide excellent results when sprayed in the right environmental conditions.
However, LL soybeans are not the only answer to weed resistance. Another management strategy we need to embrace is the use of pre-emerge herbicides in both our corn and soybean fields. Pre-emerge herbicides are essential because:
a) early weeds do the most damage to yield
b) a pre-emerge provides flexibility in timing with post-applied herbicides
c) university data has shown increased yield when including pre-emerge chemicals in your program
Another option is tank-mixing other herbicides with glyphosate in your post-applied applications. Timing is extremely critical with this method, and in some instances, crops have responded negatively.
If you experienced weed resistance on your farm this year, LibertyLink soybeans are a great option to consider in 2015. Weed control without sacrificing yield or agronomic stability makes the switch to LL very easy.
I’m available and happy to answer any questions you may have about the LibertyLink system.
