4 Questions to Ask When Choosing Corn Seed Technology for 2025
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Seed selection is the most important decision growers make every year, says Scott Jungman, Enlist® field specialist.
“Your seed choice determines your genetics, and the genetics will determine your yield potential,” he says. “The insect control and herbicide tolerances found in each trait technology are what’s going to protect your corn yield.”
If you’re still not sure which seed to plant next year, ask yourself the following questions.
- How important is flexibility in your weed control program? If the next growing season is anything like this year, it’s important to be prepared for weather-related delays. The good news is the Enlist® weed control system gives you the flexibility you need for weed control.
When you plant any corn hybrid with the Enlist® trait, you can design a custom program approach to tackle weeds and apply Enlist® herbicides on up to 30-inch-tall Enlist corn or through the V8 growth stage, whichever comes first, or on up to 48-inch-tall corn when applied with a drop nozzle.
“Imagine if your corn preemergence herbicide doesn’t adequately control waterhemp and you need to control it postemergence,” Jungman explains. “Enlist herbicides allow you a postemergence herbicide option to get those escapes.” - Which pests do you need to protect against? “Growers should be looking for agronomic solutions that fit their farm management style and protect against key weeds, insects and diseases,” Jungman says.
Ask yourself: Which weeds were still present this year? This can help inform what did and didn’t work with your weed management program as you start putting together plans for the upcoming season. Planting seed with a flexible herbicide trait system, such as the Enlist® system, will give you plenty of options to develop a herbicide program approach fit for your acres.
“Enlist corn offers tolerance to four herbicide groups, including glyphosate, glufosinate, FOP chemistry and, of course, 2,4-D choline which is only found in Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides,” Jungman says.
Farmers looking for additional cutting-edge insect control have enhanced options with Enlist corn. As part of the elite Corteva Agriscience corn hybrid package, Enlist® corn offers proven genetics, Bt traits and herbicide tolerances that can deliver solutions to fit every acre. - Which herbicides are you hoping to use next year? “In soybeans, an increasing number of growers are choosing Enlist herbicides to control tough weeds like Palmer amaranth and waterhemp,” Jungman says. “But in corn, we already have fantastic preemergence herbicides, such as Resicore REV, FulTime NXT or Keystone NXT, and other broad-spectrum herbicides that have residual activity. With these broad-spectrum corn programs, Enlist herbicides can be more targeted and used in scenarios where a key broadleaf weed like waterhemp gets through.”
- What are your neighbors planting? When selecting seed for next spring, it’s important to consider which herbicide trait technologies you want to use and where you want to place those technologies. Knowing the surroundings can help you make better use of these technologies.
Farmers who consider field placement when purchasing seed can help ensure they’ll be able to use the technologies they employ more successfully.
“Hopefully your neighbors are already planting Enlist corn or Enlist E3 soybeans and using Enlist herbicides, which are known to land and stay on target,” Jungman says. “That makes the decision easier.”
No matter which trait system you select, it’s important to protect your seed decision for maximum return on investment.
“Keep your Corteva Agriscience seed and herbicide representatives on speed dial,” Jungman says. “These trusted partners can help you make timely decisions and keep you on the road to profitability.”
Hear more about corn seed selection in this Brownfield Ag News Managing for Profit episode:
FulTime® NXT and Keystone® NXT are Restricted Use Pesticides. FulTime is not available for sale, distribution or use in the state of New York. Resicore® REV is not registered for sale or use in all states. Resicore REV is not available for sale, distribution or use in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the state of New York. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Corteva Agriscience and M.S. Technologies L.L.C. Following burndown, Enlist Duo® and Enlist One® herbicides with Colex-D® technology are the only herbicides containing 2,4-D that are authorized for preemergence and postemergence use with Enlist® crops. Consult Enlist® herbicide labels for weed species controlled. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are not registered for use or sale in all states and counties; are not registered in AK, CA, CT, HI, ID, MA, ME, MT, NH, NV, OR, RI, UT, VT, WA and WY; and have additional subcounty restrictions in AL, GA, TN and TX, while existing county restrictions still remain in FL. All users must check “Bulletins Live! Two” no earlier than six months before using Enlist One or Enlist Duo. To obtain “Bulletins,” consult epa.gov/espp/, call 1-844-447-3813, or email ESPP@epa.gov. You must use the “Bulletin” valid for the month and state and county in which Enlist One or Enlist Duo are being applied. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency if you have questions about the registration status of Enlist® herbicides in your area. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW TO USE ANY PESTICIDE PRODUCT OTHER THAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS LABELING. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. USE OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, 2,4-D-CONTAINING PRODUCTS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE WITH ENLIST CROPS, MAY RESULT IN OFF-TARGET DAMAGE TO SENSITIVE CROPS/AREAS AND/OR SUSCEPTIBLE PLANTS, IN ADDITION TO CIVIL AND/OR CRIMINAL PENALTIES. Additional product-specific stewardship requirements for Enlist crops, including the Enlist® Product Use Guide, can be found at www.traitstewardship.com. Always read and follow label directions.
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