We sat down with Ryan Booton, Sales Agronomist for southeast Iowa and central/northern Illinois, to get his take on Enlist E3™ soybeans and the Enlist™ system.
Q: What’s been the buzz from customers about Enlist E3 soybeans?
Since we received approval for commercial planting, I’ve seen a lot of excitement around Enlist E3 soybeans at dealer meetings and other events. Growers are looking for new options in weed control management. I honestly feel this could be as big a game changer as when glyphosate-tolerant soybeans hit the market in 1996.
Q: That’s a big deal. What makes the Enlist system in soybeans so exciting?
The big value I see for a grower is the flexibility to use three different herbicides. The traits in Enlist E3 soybeans allow the flexibility to use 2,4-D choline in Enlist Duo® and Enlist One® herbicides as well as glyphosate and glufosinate. With this system, you also get application timing flexibility. We have a wide window of application on Enlist E3 soybeans, up to R2.
Q: 2,4-D has, of course, been around forever. What’s different with the 2,4-D choline in Enlist herbicides?
There are a few things. First, the Enlist herbicides have near-zero volatility and minimized potential for physical drift. I call them “neighbor-friendly.” With Enlist herbicides, there are situations where you need zero buffer when spraying. And when you do need a set-back, it’s only 30 feet for sensitive areas. That’s much smaller than many other systems, some of which call for 110 or 220 feet in certain situations. The other advantage I see is that there is no plant-back restriction with Enlist herbicides. I’d say about 70% of the growers I work with use traditional 2,4-D for burndown. It works great, but then they have to wait several weeks before planting. With Enlist E3 soybeans, they can plant the day after burndown with 2,4-D. That’s a big help if you’ve got a rainy spring and you end up with a short window to plant. The sooner you can get that seed in the ground, the more chance you have to maximize yield.
Q: How are the genetics shaping up?
Growers who choose Enlist E3 soybeans should know that the trait is being put into the newest germplasm on the market. Our expectation is that yield will meet or exceed other technologies out there. The data we have shows the germplasm is solid and we’ve got a great platform for Enlist E3 soybeans moving into the 2020 season.