When it comes to weeds and herbicide resistance, it’s not enough to just nip them in the bud. It’s important to manage the problem long before the weeds even have a chance to sprout.

Researchers with the University of Minnesota Extension explain that after repeated use of the same herbicide, herbicide-resistant weed populations can rapidly grow, pushing the number of resistant weeds past a manageable threshold. In fact, it’s common to go from excellent control of a particular weed to very poor control within one growing season, creating a costly problem. To help avoid this issue, it’s important to develop a strategic management plan to preserve herbicide options.

A good weed management plan can cover fields for three to five years. Focusing on long-term, comprehensive weed management strategies can help minimize crop loss over multiple seasons, reduce the weed seed bank and help delay the development of herbicide resistance. Consider the following:

• Start with a clean field and control weeds early by using a burndown treatment or tillage in combination with a pre-emergence residual herbicide
• Employ integrated weed management practices with multiple modes of action
• Scout fields after herbicide application to ensure you have thoroughly controlled the weeds
• Avoid allowing weeds to reproduce
• Monitor sites and clean equipment between sites to prevent the spread of weed seed
• Implement cultural practices such as cultivation and crop rotation

Assessing weed management options will help create a customized, effective plan to achieve long-lasting weed control. Apply herbicides that target weeds with confirmed or potential herbicide resistance. Syngenta offers several herbicide programs with diverse options for multi-year plans. Here are a few to consider:

• A burndown application like Gramoxone® SL 2.0 herbicide to start clean and eliminate early-season weed competition
• Boundary®, BroadAxe® XC and Prefix® herbicides provide broad-spectrum pre-emergence residual control of a full range of tough broadleaf and grass weeds
• Flexstar® GT 3.5 and Touchdown Total® herbicides offer effective post-emergence management targeting difficult-to-control weeds

When combined with cultural practices such as crop rotation and tillage, these weed management options can help reduce the weed seed bank, maximize herbicide diversity and fight resistance.

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©2016 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some crop protection products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Gramoxone SL 2.0 is a Restricted Use Pesticide. Boundary®, Flexstar®, Gramoxone®, Prefix®, Touchdown Total®, the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. BroadAxe® is a registered trademark of FMC Corporation.