KNOXVILLE, IOWA (RFD NEWS) — Syngenta and M.S. Technologies are bringing a new soybean trait stack to market designed to provide growers with additional herbicide options for weed-management programs.
Golden Harvest soybean product manager Ryan Dunsbergen joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report to share more about how Expance™ Trait Technology brings tolerance to six different active ingredients.
“It confers tolerance to six different active ingredients that are out there in the marketplace,” Dunsbergen said.
The trait stack includes tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate, and 2,4-D, along with herbicides in the HPPD inhibitor family.
Targeting Tough-to-Control Weeds
In his interview with RFD News, Dunsbergen said waterhemp remains one of the biggest weed-management challenges he hears about from growers across the central United States.
“As we look at these tougher-to-control weeds, especially in soybeans, like waterhemp now, this is really where we see definitely better benefits out of this,” he said.
He said the technology could provide additional options for managing waterhemp and other difficult-to-control weed species.
“This is going to allow us to bring better tolerance, better control to these weed species,” Dunsbergen said.
Bringing HPPD Tolerance to Soybeans
Pre-emergence HPPD inhibitor tolerance is a new development for soybeans, but Dunsbergen said growers are already familiar with the chemistry through its use in corn.
“We’re already using this in corn, and we know a lot of things already from there,” he said.
That includes understanding how the chemistry works with other products and where it can be used to target specific weed species.
Dunsbergen said the technology could also give growers another opportunity to address weeds before they emerge.
“It really brings extra value that farmers can be out spraying earlier in the season to prevent weeds from even emerging,” he said.
Looking Across the Crop Rotation
Dunsbergen said weed management should be viewed as a long-term program rather than focusing only on the current crop.
He pointed to an agronomic principle that residual herbicide programs in one crop can help with weed control in the following crop.
“Your best soybean weed control actually comes from a corn residual herbicide. And your best corn weed control comes from a really good soybean residual program,” Dunsbergen said.
He said adding more herbicide options to that approach could help growers manage weed pressure over multiple seasons.
Expance™ Full Launch Scheduled in 2029
Dunsbergen said the deregulation process for the Enlist E3 plus Expance™ technology has accelerated.
He said Golden Harvest hopes to have some varieties available in 2028, followed by a full launch in 2029.
LEARN MORE: www.goldenharvestseeds.com
