By July 2017, 1,411 dicamba-related crop injury investigations were being conducted by the various state agriculture departments in the US. It was estimated that approximately 2.5m acres of soya beans had been damaged by dicamba drift.
As of July 15, 2018, however, just over 600 cases were being investigated by state departments of agriculture with an estimated 1.1m acres of soya beans affected.
This means that there is a reduction of over 57% in reports of incidences. This is in the context of an increased area of dicamba-tolerant soya bean acres. The area planted with dicamba-tolerant soya bean was approximately double that of 2017, up from last year’s 25m acres to around 50m acres this year. There are suggestions that grower awareness of the conditions required to spray the crop are the reasons behind the reduction in drift incidences.
Dicamba drift recap
Last year, the Irish Farmers Journal brought you a series of reports from the US detailing the issues experienced by growers using the new dicamba-tolerant genetically modified (GM) soya bean variety.
When the dicamba active is applied on to the target plant, it causes that crop no harm but is highly effective on weeds. However, as the chemical has a high vapour pressure, it’s more likely to evaporate and rise into the atmosphere post-application.
When present in the atmosphere, the chemical can drift to "off-target" plants in neighbouring fields which, in most cases, are not dicamba-tolerant. In research published last year, dicamba damage was observed over 70 metres away from application sites.
EPA registration
In light of the ongoing evaporation issues surrounding the use of the active, growers across the US are awaiting the decision from the Environmental Protection Agency to approve or disapprove the use of the herbicide for the season.
The EPA’s delayed decision to re-register the herbicide has meant soya bean growers are unable to buy seeds for next year. In a statement, the EPA said that it will use all available evidence when evaluating registrations for over-the-top use of dicamba and will make a decision in the near future.
Read more
Dicamba crisis in the US - where to now?
A different world compared with Donegal
By July 2017, 1,411 dicamba-related crop injury investigations were being conducted by the various state agriculture departments in the US. It was estimated that approximately 2.5m acres of soya beans had been damaged by dicamba drift.
As of July 15, 2018, however, just over 600 cases were being investigated by state departments of agriculture with an estimated 1.1m acres of soya beans affected.
This means that there is a reduction of over 57% in reports of incidences. This is in the context of an increased area of dicamba-tolerant soya bean acres. The area planted with dicamba-tolerant soya bean was approximately double that of 2017, up from last year’s 25m acres to around 50m acres this year. There are suggestions that grower awareness of the conditions required to spray the crop are the reasons behind the reduction in drift incidences.
Dicamba drift recap
Last year, the Irish Farmers Journal brought you a series of reports from the US detailing the issues experienced by growers using the new dicamba-tolerant genetically modified (GM) soya bean variety.
When the dicamba active is applied on to the target plant, it causes that crop no harm but is highly effective on weeds. However, as the chemical has a high vapour pressure, it’s more likely to evaporate and rise into the atmosphere post-application.
When present in the atmosphere, the chemical can drift to "off-target" plants in neighbouring fields which, in most cases, are not dicamba-tolerant. In research published last year, dicamba damage was observed over 70 metres away from application sites.
EPA registration
In light of the ongoing evaporation issues surrounding the use of the active, growers across the US are awaiting the decision from the Environmental Protection Agency to approve or disapprove the use of the herbicide for the season.
The EPA’s delayed decision to re-register the herbicide has meant soya bean growers are unable to buy seeds for next year. In a statement, the EPA said that it will use all available evidence when evaluating registrations for over-the-top use of dicamba and will make a decision in the near future.
Read more
Dicamba crisis in the US - where to now?
A different world compared with Donegal
SHARING OPTIONS