Available Technologies

Introduction

Herbicides are applied to crop fields to prevent the growth of weeds. This helps to increase target crop yields. These herbicides act by preventing plants from photosynthesizing, growing, or by directly killing the plant. While extremely useful in reducing weed pressure in crop fields, weeds are continually being selected for herbicide resistance.  One solution to maintaining herbicide efficacy is the use of multiple herbicides with different modes of action.  The seed industry is in the process of releasing crops that are resistant to 2,4-D and/or dicamba, which may be applied together with glyphosate and/or glufosinate to treat fields that have herbicide-resistant weed problems. However, dicamba and 2,4-D herbicides are volatile compounds.  Under the wrong weather conditions dicamba and 2,4-D herbicide vapors can migrate to local, non-target plants and fields, and can thereby damage adjacent non-resistant crop plants. This is a serious liability issue for farmers who want to treat their fields with dicamba or 2,4-D.  There is an industry interest and ecological benefit to reducing the volatility of these herbicides while allowing dicamba and 2,4-D to be tank mixed and compatible with glyphosate and/or glufonsinate.

Description of Technology

This technology is an adjuvant used in solution with 2,4-D and/or dicamba to reduce the volatility of herbicides after application. Notably, the adjuvant does not form a salt with either herbicide, and is therefore more compatible with current high molecular weight dicamba and 2,4-D salts.  This technology reduces dicamba and 2,4-D application rates and improves herbicide uptake by plants (both crops and weeds).  These two effects reduce the amount of dicamba or 2,4-D volatalized off a treated field, thereby reducing secondary non target exposure to adjacent local fields.

Key Benefits

• Reduction in herbicide volatility – keeps more herbicide on target plants longer
• Reduces non target affects – reduces volatile drift to adjacent untreated fields
• Broad compatibility – Adjuvant can be used with a multitude of herbicides, including glyphosate and glufosinate

Applications

• Adjuvant to reduce herbicide volatility and spread to non-target plants

Patent Status

United States application pending

Inventors

Donald Penner

Tech ID

TEC2013-0043