Dubuque, IA, 2018: Acuron® corn herbicide applied preemergence at the full labeled rate with glyphosate. Photo taken 50 days after treatment.

While bargain herbicides and generic options have risen in popularity in recent years, they often leave the end-user exposed to a higher level of risk than is necessary.

If a herbicide is cheaper but does not have multiple effective sites of action that are targeted to the right driver weeds, it’s not going to be as effective. This means it might be more costly than expected in the long run when you factor in weed escapes, potential resprays, resistance and lost yield.

Meanwhile, generics are often cheaper because they don’t have company backing (absence of local reps and financial resources to address potential problems), and typically lack the thorough formulation testing of their brand-name counterparts. For those reasons alone, some commercial applicators have shared that generic herbicides are just too risky for them. Efficiency is the name of the game, as there are many fields to cover in a short window, and simply put, commercial applicators don’t have room for down time. Generic herbicides can cause application issues, sometimes clogging machinery or requiring extra cleanup.

We collected samples of several generic mesotrione herbicide mixtures that are currently being sold and compared them to our proven Callisto®-based herbicide brands. Each generic formulation we tested failed in one or more ways, meaning problems can be expected. The vials on the top row (below) show fresh samples, and the vials on the bottom row show what the same samples looked like after an accelerated aging test designed to simulate one year of storage stability. Generic vials A – D all showed signs of separation and active ingredient loss.

Separation alone can make herbicides difficult to remix in a sprayer, even with agitation, and active ingredient loss means that not all of the active ingredient paid for makes its way onto the field.

Needless to say, a herbicide is more than its sticker price. While a brand-name product will typically cost more upfront, it can provide greater overall value in terms of weed control, which is critical for top-end yield potential. The Iowa State University Extension says growers must remove weeds early to protect yield potential and should not rely on a post-emergence application alone.

For corn, we recommend Acuron corn herbicide. Acuron contains 4 active ingredients, including the unique component bicyclopyrone, and 3 effective sites of action, which enable it to protect corn from tough, yield-robbing weeds better than any other herbicide. When used in a preemergence application at full label rates, Acuron outyields competitors by 5-15 bushels an acre.*

Calculate how much more potential revenue you could earn with an extra 5-15 bushels.

Our newest herbicide for dicamba-tolerant soybeans, Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology, has multiple effective sites of action that work against a broad spectrum of broadleaf and grass weeds, and contains built-in residual control to maintain clean fields throughout the season. Through the contact control of dicamba, Tavium controls the weeds you see, and through the residual control of S-metolachlor, it protects crops from the weeds you don’t see yet.

Tavium works well as an early post-emergent herbicide. It can follow Boundary® 6.5 EC, BroadAxe® XC or Prefix® herbicides in soybeans – along with others. Tavium controls 21 different weeds when applied preemergence and 63 weeds as a post-emergent herbicide.

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