Using Pesticides Wisely (Stanley Culpepper and Tommy Gray)

 As new auxin technologies are being commercialized, our Using Pesticides Wisely efforts are also progressing rapidly. Comments below address several questions many agents have been asking.

1. Using Pesticides Wisely Classroom Training. The Georgia Department of Agriculture has developed a web-site for our Using Pesticides Wisely effort www.agr.georgia.gov/24c.aspx. Now, each of you or your clientele can visit the site to determine class participation. Of special note, growers who attended the training during 2015 plus everyone who attended during 2016 should be in the site. For agents, consultants, and dealers attending in 2015, those names are being added currently. For 2017, names from all trainings will be submitted simultaneously after the last training on March 14.

2. One-on-one training. Agents are definitely on the move with their own trainings in recent days.  We continue to believe this is the most important and impactful component in achieving our overall goal. Mock one-on-one trainings will occur on Feb 7 with Culpepper, Utley, and Parker as an agent training on zoom which should be archived for viewing at your convenience. However, we have been clear that you are king/queen of your county and you are strongly encouraged to follow the process that works best for you and your applicators. Our ultimate goal is to reach the applicator and help them make wise decisions.

3. Credit Hours. The Using Pesticides Wisely Classroom training is providing 3 hours of credit while the one-on-one training will provide 1 hour of credit; assuming each of you take proper documentation (it will take me time to get all these names into GDA so don’t make any promises on how fast it will occur). For those individuals without a pesticide license who attended the classroom training, they will still receive a status showing they attended the class on the website although there is no credit provided since they do not have a license.

A couple of interesting scenarios can happen making it look like one is not getting full credit hours for the classroom training. For example, if I have 1 hour of credit on my card when I take the classroom training then I can only get 2 additional hours before my card “resets”. A second example might be someone who takes the training just before the card expires and “resets” in which it may not show up on the new cycle.

The impact for our collective efforts over the past two years is visible throughout the state, without question. Please continue the aggressive nature of sharing valued unbiased research information with your clientele having the goal of helping them make wise decisions when applying all pesticides. Also, let’s encourage each individual to obtain a pesticide license to further improve their knowledge about pesticides which will improve the long-term sustainability of agriculture.

Quick Reference Guides for Enlist Duo™, Engenia™, and Xtendimax™ (Prostko)

The manufacturers of these new herbicide formulations have put together the following quick reference guides which you might find useful.  These quick guides are not a substitute for the herbicide label! I would also suggest that growers regularly check the web-sites listed for the most up-to-date information about approved tank-mixes.

Enlist Duo™

Engenia™

Xtendimax™

Cowpea Tolerance to Flumioxazin (Valor, Panther, etc.) - For Extension Agents Only (Culpepper)

Recently, an agent brought to my attention that there was a label for Panther SC to be used preplant or preemergence in field peas (southern cowpea).  Attached below is a section from the Panther SC label where, in fact, the herbicide can be applied prior to planting or within 2 days after planting field peas. 

Obviously, the use of Panther SC in cowpea would provide great weed control but what about crop injury? Our research over several years, has suggested there is too great of an injury potential to use this product.  The table below shows the level of injury (cowpea, snap bean, lima bean) that occurs with Valor at low use rates; look closely at the data as Valor rates used in our studies are well below that on the Panther SC label.  Injury results are quite variable and are almost certainly tied to the amount of rainfall/irrigation occurring during the first 10 days after planting as well as soil type (% sand and organic matter).  If growers do decide to use Panther SC in field peas, make certain that they understand that this is not our recommendation.  In these same studies, a system of Treflan plus Dual Magnum injured each bean type less than 4% while providing excellent weed control.

Herbicide Option  & Rate	Southern Pea (% Injury)	Snap Bean (% Injury)	Lima Bean (% Injury)
Valor SX 0.75 oz/A	12 c	18 c	24 b
Valor SX 1.5 oz/A	38 a	47 a	45 a
Valor SX 0.75 oz/A + Dual 12 oz/A + Treflan 12 oz/A	22 b	32 b	22 b

Indemnified Dual Magnum or Reflex Labels for Vegetables (Culpepper)

GROWER MUST OBTAIN HIS/HER LABEL: For years we have stressed the importance of growers having a copy of our state local need (SLN) indemnified labels when making applications. This is getting more serious as the Department of Agriculture has started asking to see these labels doing routine visits; this is simply a response to the sheer volume of SLN labels we now have for Georgia growers.  

OBTAINING LABELS FOR DUAL MAGNUM OR REFLEX:

Consider helping your growers by asking them to come in and visit with you to get their label. This is a great opportunity for young/new agents to obtain face time with our clientele!!

Agents MUST NOT give growers any indemnified label or make any verbal recommendations until the grower has the label.  Agents can help growers through the process but must make sure the grower clicks the “I ACCEPT” liability waver when obtaining the label.

Obtaining the label for First Time (first time takes a couple minutes, thereafter very simple):

1.  Go to www.farmassist.com

2.  Register the grower (or if you want a label register yourself); “register” is located on the 2nd tool bar in top middle of page.  After filling in information; click I accept at bottom.

3.  The next page that pops up asks about you; you do not have to fill this out if you do not want.

4.  Select products along top bar.

5.  Select indemnified labels (4^th one down).

6.  For state, select Georgia and for product, select Dual Magnum or Reflex (play around and see our other labels) and then submit.

7.  Select the Dual Magnum or Reflex crop of interest and submit.

8.  Accept waiver; this is the process making the label an indemnified label.  GROWER MUST CLICK THE  I ACCEPT KEY TO GET THEIR LABEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9.  Print label and have present during application.

2017 Using Pesticides Wisely (Culpepper)

Cotton and soybean varieties with tolerance to auxin herbicides (2,4-D or dicamba) are being commercialized. Prior to making applications of dicamba to dicamba-tolerant cotton/soybean or 2,4-D to 2,4-D-tolerant cotton/soybeans in Georgia, growers will be required to attend the training “Using Pesticides Wisely”.  The training will focus on helping applicators/growers make wise decisions when applying not only 2,4-D and dicamba but all pesticides.  Growers are strongly encouraged to bring their applicators with them.  Attendance is suggested for all on farm applicators to confirm that they have been provided the best management practices when applying all pesticides. 

Growers who attended 2015 or 2016 trainings, as long as they registered, are not required to attend the meeting again. However, they are welcome to attend as many times as they like.  The trainings have resulted in 1499 Georgia growers completing the required training.  A survey conducted of these trainings noted 99% of growers felt the training was worth their time and 98% of them believed the training would help them increase on-target pesticide applications.  If you have questions concerning your registration, please contact your local county extension office.

For growers who have not previously attended this training, options for 2017 are provided below.  Select a time/location and RSVP, at least 2 days in advance, to the specific location for attendance. The required trainings will cover a 2 to 2.5 hr time period and will provide pesticide re-certification credits.  Snacks and drinks will be provided (no meal).

Area	Date	Time	Location	RSVP	County Agent
East-GA	February 2	3 pm	Screven County Ext. Office 321 Rocky Ford Road Sylvania, GA 30467	912-564-2064	Ray Hicks
Southeast-GA	February 13	9 am	Pierce County Ext. Office 705 College Ave. Blackshear, GA 31516	912-449-2034	James Jacobs
Southwest- GA	February 15	1 pm	Moby Dicks Restaurant 200 Martha Berry Hwy. Colquitt, GA 39837	229-758-4106	Brock Ward
South Central-GA	February 17	9 am	Houston County Ext. Office 801 Main Street Perry, GA 31069	478-987-2028	Charlotte Meeks
North-GA	March 7	1 pm	Olin Tatum Ag. Bldg. 320 W. Cherokee Ave. Cartersville, GA 30120	770-387-5142	Paul Pugliese

Enlist™ Duo Label Update (Prostko)

I just received word that the expanded federal label for Enlist™ Duo (glyphosate + 2,4-D choline) use in cotton and soybean has been granted.  Appropriate state labels will follow shortly.   Some label highlights include the following:

1) Enlist™ Duo can only be tank-mixed with products that have been tested and found not to adversely affect its spray drift properties.  The current list of approved tank-mix partners can be obtained at www.EnlistTankmix.com and must be checked no more than 7 days before application. 

2) REI = 48 hours

3) 23 approved spray nozzle types on the label

4) 30' downwind field buffer from sensitive areas

5) At the time of application, the wind cannot be blowing toward adjacent commercially grown tomatoes and other fruiting vegetables (EPA crop group 8), cucurbits (EPA crop group 9), grapes, and non-Enlist cotton.  For more specific information about these crop groups refer to the following:

http://ir4.rutgers.edu/other/CropGroup.htm

A complete copy of the recently (01/12/2017) approved federal Enlist™ Duo label can be obtained from the following location:  https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2016-0594-0659

A couple of key points regarding Enlist™ soybeans:

1) I have absolutely ZERO Enlist™ soybean variety performance data for the SE at the current time.

2) The registrant (DowAgroSciences) is still waiting for China import approval so I would not expect anything major to happen at the grower level in 2017, especially in the SE. 

3) It is also very important to remember that Enlist™ Duo can only be used POST (in-crop) on Enlist™ (2,4-D resistant) varieties.  Enlist™ Duo cannot be used on Xtend™ (dicamba-resistant) varieties.

Xtend™ Soybean Variety Performance in Georgia - 2016 (Prostko)

     One of the biggest concerns that I have had regarding the new auxin-resistant (2,4-D or dicamba) soybean technologies has been variety performance.  Since Georgia is a relatively small soybean production state (~255,000 acres harvested in 2016), not much emphasis has been put into early screening of adaptable varieties.  Up until the end of 2016, I had no university yield trial results in my files. Using preliminary data from tests conducting in 2016 by the UGA-OVT group, the tables in this blog depict the ranking of Xtend™ (dicamba-resistant) soybean varieties at each location.  I have highlighted the varieties within each maturity group that look the most promising based upon this data set and my own opinion.  I was specifically looking for varieties that were consistently in the Top 10 and/or had lower average rankings.  
     I would strongly encourage all soybean growers to use multiple varieties and multiple sources of yield information, regardless of technology.  Variety selection is one of the most important choices a grower will make.  For the record, I have no Southeastern yield data for any Enlist™ (2,4-D resistant) soybean variety.  Please remember that Enlist™ Duo (2,4-D choline + glyphosate) is not yet registered in Georgia.  For more complete information about 2016 soybean variety performance in the Southeast, check out the following web-sites:

University of Georgia
http://www.swvt.uga.edu/2016/SY16-pr/sy16-pr-contents.html

Auburn University http://www.aces.edu/anr/crops/varietytesting/documents/2016PerformanceofSoybeanCultivarsinAlabama.pdf

Figure 1.  Xtend™ irrigated soybean variety rankings, Group V + VI maturity groups, UGA-OVT, 2016.

Figure 2.  Xtend™ irrigated soybean variety rankings, Group VII maturity group, UGA-OVT, 2016.