The last several seasons have brought more than their fair share of struggles. Stubborn commodity prices, unstable weather and unexpected pest movements mean that the bottom line is as important as ever. In this environment, it can be tempting to cut costs on herbicides and fungicides. However, by spending less up front on inferior products, your crops may be susceptible to weeds and diseases that can reduce your yield and profitability.

For example, if you use lower quality herbicide, often with shorter or no residual, you may have to make another herbicide application. This is not only costly, but the weed competition may reduce your yield. Also, leaving out a residual herbicide, which has another mode of action, may result in surviving weeds developing resistance that will pass on to future generations. A better approach is to use a more effective herbicide program that offers residual control with multiple modes of action.

To power your weed management program in soybeans, we recommend making a preemergence application of Prefix® herbicide, followed by a post-emergence application of Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology herbicide while weeds are less than 4” tall. Both products feature 2 effective sites of action for control of ALS-, PPO- and glyphosate-resistant weeds. For your cotton fields, consider Caparol® 4L or Reflex® herbicides followed by Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology. For corn, we recommend using Acuron® corn herbicide. Our research shows that when Acuron is applied preemergence at the full label rate, it gives you 5 to 15* more bushels an acre by controlling the tough weeds that other herbicides miss.

This applies to fungicides as well. Weaker products may not eliminate disease presence in your fields. Disease that survives 1 or 2 applications could develop resistance.

For your fungicide program, we recommend considering Miravis® Top fungicide for your soybean and cotton fields, Trivapro® fungicide for your corn and Miravis® Ace fungicide for your wheat fields. These products are custom-built for the diseases that affect our area and are the most effective fungicides available.

At the end of the season, surviving weeds and diseases can reduce your crop yield, impacting your bottom line. Worse, some diseases can also cause further yield loss during storage. Effective herbicides and fungicides wipe out weeds and disease fast, meaning more yield and more money in your pocket.

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*When applied preemergence and at full label rates. Yield advantage range based on 2016 Syngenta and University trials comparing Acuron to Corvus®, Resicore®, SureStart® II and Verdict®. For more information on Acuron versus an individual product, ask your Syngenta representative.