New Products and Innovations for Soybean Producers
Midsouth soybean producers are in constant need of new and/or improved products and inputs that offer the potential for enhanced pest control, soil health improvement, and continued high yields. Below are links to new and/or forthcoming products and technologies, along with short summaries about them and links to the originating companies.
Lumitreo fungicide seed treatment from Corteva Agriscience. This 3-way premix contains the fungicides ipconazole [Group3], picoxystrobin [Group 11], and oxathiapiprolin [Group 49]. It is formulated to control a soybean seedling disease complex caused by Phytophthora sojae, Rhizoctonia solani, seed-borne Phomopsis, plus suppression of Pythium spp. All of these diseases are problematic in the Midsouth. According to Corteva, the active ingredients in this seed treatment product translocate throughout the seed, root system, and aerial portions of the soybean plant to provide additional protection against stem rot and seedling blight pathogens. Midsouth soybean producers are encouraged to ensure that this seed treatment premix will in fact control diseases caused by pathogens that have been confirmed in their soybean fields.
Utrisha P from Corteva Agriscience. This microbial [Bacillus amyloliquefaciens] liquid biostimulant product is promoted by the company to stimulate phosphorus [P] mobilization in the soil so that more applied fertilizer-P is available to the plant. If applied correctly, this biostimulant colonizes plant roots throughout the growing season, and produces enzymes that stimulate P mobilization for subsequent greater P availability to the plant. It is applied as an in-furrow treatment at planting so that it reaches the plant’s rooting zone at the beginning of plant development. Click here for product label.
Rhizosorb from Phospholutions. This product is a 7-34-0 fertilizer that is promoted by the company to increase P use efficiency by acting as a reversible P reservoir that avoids being “tied up” in the soil. It can be applied by standard methods that are used for dry granular fertilizers.
Biotrinsic Z15 from Indigo Ag. This bionematicide is a microbial seed treatment product that has been developed for the suppression of root knot [RKN] and cyst [SCN] nematodes in soybean. Its active ingredient is a proprietary strain of Streptomyces bacteria that colonizes plant roots to provide a barrier of protection against listed nematodes.
Agrivi Ed from Agrivi. This is an artificial intelligence [AI] agronomic advisory tool that is designed to provide advice about crop protection. It supports chatting in over 50 languages, is available 24/7, and supports unlimited conversations with clients.
Aigen Element weed-removing robot from Aigen. Aigen’s Element vehicles can autonomously navigate, weed, and analyze row crops. They are powered by solar energy provided by solar panels located on the vehicles, thus reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
LaserWeeder from Carbon Robotics is a chemical-free, no-till, weed control tool that is designed to use artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics to eliminate weeds in crop fields. The machine uses lasers with tracking cameras to identify and kill weeds in crops, resulting in a potential cost saving for weed control. It can distinguish between weed and crops, and can operate regardless of weather or time of day.
Diflufenican [Group 15 herbicide–brand name Convintro] from Bayer Crop Science is a new herbicide for North America, and is slated to be available to soybean producers in 2025. This herbicide has shown excellent activity on Palmer amaranth, which is a problematic weed for Midsouth soybean producers. It targets a new site-of-action in pigweed that has not been attacked by herbicides currently used by U.S. producers. To broaden the spectrum of weed control, Bayer plans to package Convintro with metribuzin [Group 5] and flufenacet [Group 15] active ingredients [AI]. The latter two AI’s are contained in Bayer’s Axiom herbicide, which is labeled for weed control in soybeans, among other crops.
Bayer Crop Science will be developing 4th and 5th generation herbicide tolerance traits that will offer soybean producers increased weed control options and flexibility. HT4, Bayer’s 4th generation trait, builds on the XtendFlex weed control technology by adding over-the-top tolerance to 2,4-D and mesotrione, an HPPD inhibitor. HT4 is expected to launch in 2027. In the early 2030's, Bayer anticipates the launch of its HT5 trait, which adds PPO tolerance to HT4. This trait pipeline is being developed to provide field-by-field weed control options to soybean producers by providing varietal options with herbicide tolerance traits that will aid in the fight against herbicide resistance development in weeds.
The above narrative in no way intends to endorse any of the mentioned products/technologies. Rather, it is an attempt to provide producers information about these new and/or forthcoming developments and how they might be used to improve soybean production and/or production efficiency.
All of the above developments show that there is an ongoing effort to explore, research, and develop new technologies that can potentially be used by soybean producers to improve the efficiency of their enterprise. At the very least, progress with the above and other forthcoming developments should be followed by producers so that those that are truly worthwhile can be adopted and used in Midsouth soybean fields.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Oct. 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com