During its first commercial season on farms, Acuron corn herbicide delivered on its promise to control tough weeds.
Grower Nathan Miller found that Acuron herbicide successfully controlled resistant weeds on his family's farm.
By Mary Rebecca Harakas / Photography by Todd Joyce
Not all herbicides are created equally. Residual control, weed spectrum and application flexibility are a few factors that growers consider when choosing a herbicide to use against their toughest weeds in corn. To add to the complexity and importance of selecting the right herbicide, glyphosate weed resistance is expanding, and research shows that infestations of broadleaf weeds have increased by 50 percent in recent years.1
It’s no surprise that four out of five growers are actively seeking new products, primarily to achieve better weed control2. Nathan Miller from Washington Court House, Ohio, was one of those growers. When he had the chance to try Acuron®, a promising new corn herbicide from Syngenta, on his farm in 2015, he eagerly took it.
A Giant Challenge
Like most growers in his area, Miller says weed resistance management and consistent control of tough weeds are the two features he needs most in a herbicide. “I’ve been fighting resistant weeds, especially giant ragweed, for as long as I can remember. Previous herbicide programs worked fine against some weeds, but definitely couldn’t control giant ragweed.”
Miller’s farm is truly a family-run business. “We farm more than 13,000 acres with the help of about nine family members — my uncles and cousins, plus my brother, father and grandfather. It’s a cherished family operation.”
Weed-free rows of corn at harvest are telltale signs that Acuron herbicide works.
Over the years, the family struggled with resistant weeds, and ineffective herbicide programs took a toll on their bottom line. “If I had a nickname for broadleaf weeds, I would call them ‘the bane of my existence,’” Miller says. Fortunately, Acuron has helped change his situation.
Seeing Is Believing
After years of formulation development and testing in nationwide field trials, Acuron received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 24, 2015. Powered by four active ingredients and three complementary, overlapping modes of action, Acuron offers growers multitargeted, broad-spectrum control of more than 70 broadleaf weeds and grasses, including giant ragweed, marestail, morningglory, Palmer amaranth and waterhemp.
Immediately after EPA registration, states began approving Acuron for use during the 2015 season. Growers like Miller were anxious to try the product on their fields. “I first heard about Acuron from my Syngenta representative, who convinced us that this herbicide was expected to deliver better control against giant ragweed,” says Miller. “I wanted a true one-pass system to defeat my tough weeds, like morningglory, marestail and especially giant ragweed.”
In early May, Miller used a pre-emergence application of Acuron at a full rate on his field and noticed within weeks that Acuron controlled giant ragweed. “I did some late-season scouting around early August and noticed considerably better control on giant ragweed with Acuron,” Miller says. “I’ve been waiting a long time for a product to come to the market with that level of control.”
An Industry Leader in Herbicides
Listening to concerns from customers like Miller has a direct impact on the herbicide improvements Syngenta prioritizes. “We conduct every test and trial with the grower experience in mind,” says John Foresman, Syngenta product lead. “Weeds are becoming more difficult to control, so we evaluate our previous products and what customers appreciate about them, then create an even more robust product.”
The additional active ingredient in Acuron, bicyclopyrone, complements the more familiar mesotrione. And when combined with the other active ingredients—atrazine and S-metolachlor—the premix delivers more control across a wide range of broadleaf weeds and grasses.
“After hearing growers’ concerns, it was clear that a herbicide with season-long residual, more consistent control across a broader spectrum of weeds, and greater application flexibility was needed in the market,” Foresman explains. “Other herbicides, like Corvus®, SureStart® and Verdict®, were not working as effectively at controlling the weeds in cornfields.”
Trials demonstrate that a pre-emergence application of Acuron controls broadleaf weeds and grasses better than Corvus plus atrazine, Verdict and SureStart.3
Ohio grower Nathan Miller shares his weed management philosophy.
Miller harvests corn on his farm in Washington Court House, Ohio.
(Left to right): Mike Erwin of KOVA of Ohio, Miller and Greg Whitesell of Syngenta join forces to battle tough weeds on Miller’s farm.
Two ears of harvested corn reflect the success of Miller’s 2015 season.
Dusk marks the end of a busy day on Miller’s farm.
Weed-free rows of corn at harvest are telltale signs that Acuron® herbicide works.
“When I think of comparing Acuron with Corvus, SureStart or Verdict, the main differences that come to mind are with their application window, weed spectrum and residual control,” says Gordon Vail, Ph.D., technical product lead at Syngenta.
Weed control begins with strong active ingredients working together to deliver full-rate weed control. “Although Corvus contains two active ingredients, one is ineffective against ALS-resistant weeds, like waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, if conditions aren’t favorable to that ingredient,” Vail says. “An effective herbicide like Acuron contains multiple active ingredients that work well across different environments and soil types, leading to longer residual control.”
Besides residual control, the application flexibility of being able to spray Acuron 28 days before planting, including burndown, up to 12-inch corn is another additional feature that benefited growers during the 2015 use season. “We had a wet season across the Corn Belt this year,” Miller says, “so application flexibility was one of the most important features I considered when choosing a herbicide.”
Looking Ahead to 2016
In the fall, when Miller harvested his Acuron-treated cornfields, he concluded that the decision to try the herbicide back in May paid off. “I could tell where other herbicide programs did not work on giant ragweed, but Acuron controlled it well,” he says. “Acuron delivered a good return on my investment and is a weed management tool we’ll definitely use in the future.”
Acuron delivers a good return on investment as a weed management tool.
Always looking for new ways to innovate, Syngenta is hoping to introduce growers to a new herbicide formulation named Acuron® Flexi, following its EPA registration, which is anticipated in 2016. Using a combination of three active ingredients, including bicyclopyrone, mesotrione and S-metolachlor, and two complementary modes of action, Acuron Flexi will deliver greater tank-mix flexibility than other herbicides because it does not contain atrazine or glyphosate. Farmers in certain areas of the Corn Belt, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, will find this product especially appealing, since they are limited from using atrazine. Syngenta also expects Acuron Flexi to have an even greater application window than Acuron—from 28 days pre-plant, including burndown, up to 30-inch corn.
“We understand that choosing the right herbicide can play a vital role in the long-term viability of a farm,” says Foresman. “Our goal is to put growers back in control.”
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