Glyphosate Resistant Kochia Found in Southern Alberta

This morning Monsanto released a statement confirming the three fields in southern Alberta contain glyphosate resistant kochia. Not surprising considering that the growth of glyphosate resistant weeds in North America is on the rise.

This new case though comes with a new twist that is different than other situations.  According to the Monsanto press release,

“What makes this particular case different from some of the previous situations where glyphosate resistance has been confirmed, is that it does not appear to have developed in a Roundup Ready(R) cropping system. The suspected weed species were found in three fields of chem-fallow and the typical crop rotation of the fields does not appear to have included regular use of Roundup Ready crops.”

See the full press release.

Management of the glyphosate resistant weeds on Canadian farms is an issue that must be managed. It is not an insurmountable problem but it must be managed by growers as biotech providers work on trait solutions.

The press release continued”…

“We devote a lot of research to explore practical and cost-effective solutions for growers who are faced with glyphosate-resistant weeds on their farm. We have been fortunate in Canada in that this is not a large scale weed management issue,” said Sean Dilk, technology development manager within Monsanto’s crop protection division. “But we have increased communication around this topic and we speak to farmers about this more often to lessen the likelihood of resistant weeds developing. It’s part of our commitment to stewardship and protecting a valuable tool that farmers have come to rely on.”

As Dr. Hugh Beckie has commented to us before, older herbicides fit into the management strategy.  In Southern Alberta, kochia weed is a major issue.  If not controlled early the weed grows into a large bush that does not drydown at harvest time.  This impacts yield, harvest efficiency and sample moisture.  Let us know in the comment section below if:

As a grower are you concerned about glyphosate reistant weeds?

What do you do to minimize the risk on your farm?

Are you using an increased amount of older technology on the farm to manage this risk?

 

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