From Arkansas and Mississippi to Tennessee, Mid-South soybean growers are hearing a lot of talk about PPO-resistant pigweeds. Several reports have come in this summer that the pesky weed, which also shows resistance to glyphosate, has popped up in fields where PPO (Group 14-cell membrane disruptors) chemistries have been applied. Common herbicides used post emergence in the Mid-South include Flexstar, Reflex, Ultra Blazer, Cadet, Cobra, Aim and Resource.
Pigweed is tough to conquer and, now that it’s showing resistance to PPO, alternative modes of action are a must. Chances are if you have PPO-resistant pigweed in your fields this year, it will be showing up in your fields next year.
While it may be too late to fight the areas impacted this season, take note for next year. Call your regional sales agronomist to start talking about the different varieties available to combat PPO-resistant weeds, and thoroughly educate yourself on these options. Whether you move to LibertyLink or another variety, a change up will likely be necessary to ensure PPO-resistant pigweed doesn’t rob your soybean fields of yield in the coming years.