Herbicide OK labeled vital for state

EPA reviewing use of dicamba on resistant pigweed

Pigweed is aggressive and grows rapidly in Arkansas, crowding out crops in fields. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture calls it a multimillion-dollar annual pest in the state.
Pigweed is aggressive and grows rapidly in Arkansas, crowding out crops in fields. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture calls it a multimillion-dollar annual pest in the state.

Arkansas farmers are hoping for quick approval to use certain herbicides, as weeds resistant to approved methods pose a risk to two of the state's core crops -- soybeans and cotton.

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Special to the Democrat-Gazette

Pigweed germinates from seeds in late winter through summer. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture lists it as the state’s most troublesome weed in crop production.

Monsanto, an agricultural biotechnology company based in St. Louis, announced Wednesday that China will allow imports of the company's genetically modified soybeans by using dicamba, an herbicide that soybeans can tolerate.

Some Arkansas farmers want to use dicamba, but it is not allowed on crops in the United States and is being reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Dicamba has a reputation for its ability to travel outside its intended area and kill other plant life, according to the University of Georgia extension office.

"It is great news that we have finally moved forward with getting this technology approved [by China] and in the hands of our producers," said Tom Barber, an extension weed specialist for the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture. "However, it is also frustrating because, by not having a dicamba labeled for use in this technology, we are most likely headed for a train wreck."

Jeremy Ross, a soybean extension specialist at the UA Agriculture Division, said China's approval overcomes one of the biggest hurdles to getting dicamba approved for use in the United States. China is one of the state's and the country's biggest export markets for soybeans.

Barber said the EPA probably won't approve the herbicide in time for this year's planting season.

"Based on reports and communications with industry leaders, we do not know for sure that we will [get approval] for dicamba herbicide by planting time this year or even for early post-emergence applications in either of these crops," Barber said.

Weed resistance to approved herbicides is a growing problem in the state's row crop industries.

Pigweed, an aggressive weed that can decimate cotton and soybean fields, is developing resistance to the herbicides currently used by farmers in Arkansas.

"If we have pigweed in our cotton that we can't control, that basically puts us out of the cotton business in Arkansas," said Bill Robertson, a cotton agronomist with the UA Division of Agriculture. "It's that significant of a problem."

Researchers at the UA Division of Agriculture found resistant pigweed in at least 15 counties in the state in 2015.

"We need to have other chemistries and different modes of action to prolong the lives of our existing tools," Robertson said of finding approved herbicides that work.

Researchers believe that dicamba can help farmers fight weeds and help preserve the $1.7 billion soybean industry and the cotton industry.

By planting season in May, farmers in Arkansas will likely have the new soybeans offered by Monsanto, but will not be able to use the dicamba. Ross said the Extension Service is telling farmers that if they plant the genetically modified soybeans, they should know that they likely won't be able to use the herbicide.

Researchers at the UA Division of Agriculture have been trying to develop new types of weed control programs that are effective with threats like pigweed -- both chemical and not -- for the past five years.

"We're getting fewer and fewer options for this weed," Bob Scott, a weed scientist at the UA Division of Agriculture, said of pigweed. "This is a much needed tool."

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