Both Dow Agrosciences and Monsanto Company expect to have new herbicide-resistant crops and new herbicides available in 2015.

Dow is developing Enlist corn, which is resistant to both 2,4-D and aryloxyfenoxyproprionic acid herbicides used to control grasses, according to Diane Brown, a Michigan State University Extension -educator.

Enlist soybeans are resistant to 2,4-D, which will be stacked with both glyphosate- and glufosinate–resistant genes as well, which would also allow the use of glyphosate and Liberty herbicides on those crops.

Dow Agrosciences will market Enlist Duo, for use on Enlist crops. It is a premix of glyphosate and a formulation of 2,4-D (2,4-D choline), which Dow claims is less volatile than 2,4-D amine. It could be available for the 2015 growing season. Approval of Enlist crops has been delayed by the additional requirement for an environmental impact statement by the U.S. -Environmental Protection Agency.

Xtend traits are being developed by the Monsanto Company, Brown said. These traits confer resistance to dicamba herbicide, known under the trade names Banvel and Clarity. This would allow direct application of dicamba to soybeans to help address glyphosate-resistant weeds.  To alleviate concerns about dicamba drift from fields of Xtend crops, BASF and Monsanto are developing a new formulation of dicamba with lower volatility than Clarity, which already has lower volatility than Banvel, Brown said.

“Monsanto will sell a premix of glyphosate and the new formulation of dicamba under the product name of Roundup Xtend,” she said. “The new dicamba formulation will also be available by itself under the product name of XtendiMax for Monsanto and Engenia from BASF.”

Xtend crop technology introduction has also been delayed by the additional requirement of an environmental impact statement. Xtend soybeans could be available in 2015, she said.

New formulations of dicamba and 2,4-D are being developed with reduced volatility, but spray drift onto susceptible or nonresistant crops will still be a -concern, she added.