A recent survey of certified crop advisors in all 50 U.S. states shows they are concerned about the escalation of herbicide resistance and the impediments to effective weed management.
The Weed Science Society of America survey found that four out of ten crop advisers were concerned about the challenges in managing herbicide-resistant weeds over the next five years – a significantly higher percentage than those concerned about resistance to insecticides or fungicides. Concern was greatest among those working with large-scale growers in the West or the Great Plains states and those supporting corn, rice or beet production. Crop advisors listed economics as the number one barrier to effective management of herbicide-resistant weeds, followed by management complexity, supply constraints, limited available technology, time constraints and the misguided perception that a “silver bullet” will emerge to support the management-resistant weeds.
In addition, 82 percent of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that growers need to evolve how they think about resistance management.
