Growers faced with controlling volunteer corn are challenged when that corn has built-in resistance to over-the-top applications of Roundup^® herbicide. Rotating corn herbicide tolerance traits is one way for growers to effectively manage weeds and be better stewards of their acres.

“Volunteer corn in corn situations can be difficult to control if growers are not rotating herbicide resistance traits,” says Bryan Young, a weed scientist at Southern Illinois University. “The best weed management over time is rotating herbicides with different active ingredients. Rotating and diversifying your weed control tactics will help delay or prevent herbicide resistance in weeds.”

Paul Atwood of Albion, Neb., understands the importance of keeping volunteer corn in check. “Volunteer corn could almost be considered our No. 1 weed in the year following a windy growing season,” Atwood says.

The northeastern Nebraska grower has successfully utilized trait rotation to control pesky volunteer corn in his fields.

Atwood overcomes volunteer Roundup Ready^® corn by planting hybrids with HERCULEX^® XTRA Insect Protection stacked with LibertyLink^® technology. LibertyLink technology provides tolerance to IGNITE^® herbicide, a different chemistry from Roundup, and allows him to effectively rid fields of volunteer corn tolerant to Roundup by spraying with IGNITE. Hybrids with HERCULEX XTRA stacked with LibertyLink also allow growers to use a conventional herbicide program on their acres.

“I always keep good records of my fields. If I plant Roundup Ready corn in a field one year, I follow it up with a LibertyLink corn hybrid in the same field the following year,” Atwood says. “When LibertyLink corn and Roundup Ready corn are both available, in different hybrids, it is fantastic. It allows me to use better farming practices.”

By rotating herbicide chemistries, Atwood not only knocks down unwanted volunteer corn, but he also is taking steps to prevent resistance from developing in other yield-robbing weeds. In addition, he can cut back on other weed management practices, including cultivation, to protect topsoil and reduce fuel costs. In addition, he likes to use hybrids stacked with HERCULEX XTRA because he can save on insecticide applications.

Dow AgroSciences offers HERCULEX Insect Protection in a variety of combinations, enabling growers to suit the needs of their acres. Options include hybrids with only above-ground protection (HERCULEX I Insect Protection) or with above- and below-ground protection (HERCULEX^® XTRA Insect Protection). Both offerings are available with or without Roundup Ready technology.

“HERCULEX XTRA hybrids without Roundup Ready offer more value to growers by providing the same broad-spectrum control of pests and effective herbicide options at a lower cost than hybrids that contain Roundup Ready technology,” says Wally Thingelstad, Traits and Germplasm Licensing account manager, Dow AgroSciences. “That means greater profit potential for growers.”

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company that combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. Dow AgroSciences provides innovative technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and agricultural biotechnology to serve the world’s growing population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $4.5 billion. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.