Understanding New Herbicide-Resistant Food Plot Seed Varieties

We’ve come a long way in terms of herbicide-resistant crops that are available for use in food plots.  It all started with glyphosate/Roundup Ready varieties, but now food plotters have more choices like EnlistⓇ and XTENDⓇ herbicide-resistant varieties.  

I get a lot of questions about the choices when it comes to herbicide-resistant varieties.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various varieties?  Which one should I choose and why?  Is the added cost worth it?  

It all starts with an understanding of your options, which is the point of this article.  Even if you don’t currently need the benefits of these advanced herbicide-resistant plants right now, it pays to understand your options in case you want or need to change directions in the future.   Everything can change on your property in a single growing season if a resistant weed appears.  

But first, I have to start with a disclaimer.  My discussion of herbicide-resistant plant varieties and herbicides in this article is for information purposes only and is not intended to state or imply that these seed varieties and herbicides are legal for use by you and in your country, state, province, or other jurisdiction.  Further, some herbicides mentioned in this article may require an applicator’s license or other legal permits or permissions to purchase, possess, and apply or may be completely banned in your area.  It is your responsibility to read and abide by all legal requirements for seed and herbicide use that apply to you.  

Now on to understanding more about herbicide-resistant technologies and varieties.  

What do you mean by “herbicide-resistant”?

Herbicide-resistant means that the plants that grow from a seed variety that has herbicide-resistant traits will be immune to the effects of that herbicide during at least some of that plant’s life cycle. Before we had plants with these herbicide-resistant traits, we would have killed or harmed the plant with the same herbicide that would have killed the weeds.  Now we can kill the weeds without harming or killing the desirable plant.  

The herbicide-resistant trait that most of us are familiar with is the “Roundup ReadyⓇ” trait, also known by its generic name “glyphosate-resistant”.  Of course, plants including corn and soybeans (and others) that have this trait can withstand applications of Roundup, which is the trade name for glyphosate.   

It’s important to note the underlined part of the following statement:  Herbicide resistance means that the plants that grow from a seed variety that has herbicide-resistant traits will be immune to the effects of that herbicide during at least some of that plant’s life cycle.  Certain herbicide-resistant plants may be damaged or killed by the application of herbicides if that application is done at the wrong time or under the wrong conditions!  Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  

Understanding common herbicide-resistant traits

Herbicide-resistant plant traits can be hard to understand.  Keep in mind, that these crops are developed for professional growers–our farmers.  Therefore, there are a lot of trade or brand names, generic names, and other things about these varieties that can confuse us as food plotters. 

Here’s a brief rundown of the most common herbicide-resistant seed varieties that are used by food plotters:

• Glyphosate Resistant  /  Roundup ReadyⓇ varieties - This is the most common herbicide-resistant crop planted by food plotters.  Corn, soybeans, and alfalfa are the most common plant varieties with this trait that interest food plotters. Why plant this herbicide-resistant variety?  Glyphosate is a common and relatively inexpensive systemic weed killer.   This means that glyphosate kills a wide variety of both broadleaf weeds and grasses.  This combination of a relatively inexpensive herbicide that controls a wide variety of weeds has made glyphosate-ready traits very popular for food plotters. What are the disadvantages of this herbicide-resistant variety for food plot use? Glyphosate is being overused and weeds are becoming resistant to the point where they can no longer be killed with glyphosate at any strength.   Red root pigweed, water hemp, ragweed, and Palmer amaranth are examples of common weeds in the northern tier states that are now resistant to glyphosate and therefore, must be managed with other herbicides or methods.
  

• XTENDⓇ varieties - Food plotters are most interested in XTENDⓇ because this herbicide-resistant technology produces soybean plants that are tolerant of glyphosate/Roundup, glufosinate/Liberty, and Dicamba.  Warning:  Dicamba requires a license to buy and apply and is subject to new federal restrictions.  This herbicide is also being phased out of legal use.  Improper use of Dicamba presents extreme risks of spray drift and severe unintended plant damage that can extend long distances from the application site.  My advice to food plotters is never to use dicamba nor to allow its use on your property under any circumstances.    Why plant this herbicide-resistant variety?  XTENDⓇ traits allow the use of both glyphosate/Roundup (see above for advantages) and glufosinate/Liberty to kill glyphosate-resistant weeds.  This gives growers the ability to take on resistant weeds with glufosinate/Liberty when necessary, but still take advantage of the lower cost of glyphosate/Roundup to control all other weeds.   What are the disadvantages of this herbicide-resistant variety for food plot use?XTENDⓇ varieties of herbicide-resistant soybean seeds cost more than varieties that are simply glyphosate-resistant.  This extra cost is worth it if you have resistant weeds that can be controlled by glufosinate/Liberty, but if you don’t, there is no advantage to this variety for use in your food plots.   

• EnlistⓇ varieties - Food plotters are most interested in EnlistⓇ varieties because this herbicide-resistant technology produces soybean and corn plants tolerant of glyphosate/Roundup, glufosinate/Liberty, and 2,4-D herbicides. EnlistⓇ varieties offer food plotters the most options for using widely available herbicides to control weeds, and especially glyphosate-resistant weeds.  Why plant this herbicide-resistant variety?  EnlistⓇ traits allow the use of both glyphosate/Roundup (see above for advantages) as well as glufosinate/Liberty (again, see above for advantages) to kill weeds that are glyphosate-resistant.  The added benefit to using EnlistⓇ varieties is that they are also 2, 4-D herbicide tolerant.  This gives growers a third herbicide option for use with these varieties.  The ability to use 2, 4-D herbicide gives growers an additional option for controlling broadleaf weeds that are resistant to other herbicides like glyphosate and at a lower cost compared to other options like glufosinate/Liberty.  Growers can also use this herbicide as a general broadleaf weed control option because of its lower cost, but keep in mind that 2,4-D only controls broadleaf weeds, not grasses.      What are the disadvantages of this herbicide-resistant variety for food plot use?Again, EnlistⓇ varieties of herbicide-resistant soybean seeds cost more than varieties that are simply glyphosate-resistant.  This extra cost is worth it if you have resistant weeds that can be controlled by glufosinate/Liberty and/or 2,4-D, but if you don’t, there is no advantage to this variety for use in your food plots.   

How can I learn more about my options for herbicide-resistant varieties?

Midwest Monster Whitetail Products is your dealer for both Eagle Seeds and Real World Wildlife Products.  Both Eagle and Real World offer herbicide-resistant seed varieties in each of the categories above.  If you’re in the market for soybeans, corn, or other varieties from Eagle or Real World, get in touch to discuss your needs.

We can also access varieties of herbicide-resistant crop varieties like alfalfa.  Again, the best way to determine the right direction for your food plots is to give us a call or email us at info@midwestmonster.us.