The increasing incidence of herbicide-resistant weeds is a headache for many no-tillers, but for those trying to deliver product for the growing non-GMO market, it’s especially challenging.

Mark Loux, a weed specialist with Ohio State University Extension, says developing a good weed management program is key to successfully no-tilling non-GMO crops, especially soybeans.

“Non-GMO corn is actually pretty easy,” he said during a presentation at the 2021 Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference. “The full complement of broad-spectrum herbicides can be used, just like in transgenic corn.”

The only difference with corn, he says, is glyphosate and glufosinate can’t be used in a post-emergence application, and Enlist Duo and Enlist One products can’t be applied later at the higher rate like could be done with Enlist corn. 

“But you have all the same broad spectrum, residual herbicides, and a lot of very good pre-mixes,” he says. “And you can also make your own mixes because most of these products are made up of generic components at this point.”

Susceptible Soybeans

Non-GMO soybeans, on the other hand, are much more difficult to manage because of a handful of problematic weeds — marestail, waterhemp, giant ragweed and common ragweed — that have developed resistance to many weed control options. 

When…