LL GT27 Beans Get a Herbicide 04/02 13:34

   Isoxaflutole Registered for Use on LL GT27 Soybeans for Limited Geography  

   EPA registered BASF's Alite 27 herbicide for use on LL GT27 soybeans, but 
only in select counties in some states. 

By Emily Unglesbee
DTN Staff Reporter

   ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) -- A limited group of soybean growers using LL GT27 
soybeans will soon have access to a corresponding HPPD herbicide, BASF's Alite 
27 herbicide, which contains isoxaflutole. 

   The GT27 soybean trait was developed by MS Technologies to tolerate 
applications of glyphosate and isoxaflutole. The trait is usually stacked with 
the LibertyLink trait and sold as LL GT27 soybeans, which are available through 
several different seed companies. 

   On Monday, BASF received the green light from EPA to market and sell Alite 
27, the only HPPD herbicide now registered for use on LL GT27 soybeans. Some 
small quantities of the herbicide are available for 2020, with a full 
commercial launch planned for 2021, BASF spokesperson Odessa Hines told DTN in 
an email. 

   "Alite 27 herbicide will be commercially available for sale to growers in 
registered counties during the 2021 season," Hines wrote. "However, there will 
be some limited demonstration product available this year... Growers interested 
in receiving demonstration Alite 27 should speak to their local BASF 
representative."

   Alite 27 is a restricted use pesticide and EPA has approved its use for a 
very limited geography, due to concerns of exposure to certain endangered 
species and the potential for groundwater contamination. The herbicide is 
available in a small number of counties across 25 states, which together 
account for less than 15% of U.S. soybean acreage, according to registration 
documents. 

   BASF objected to some of these county-level restrictions during the 
registration process, and asked the agency to reconsider some of its data 
analysis. 

   For example, the company disagreed with EPA's decision that the herbicide 
cannot be used in counties adjacent to areas with an endangered species of 
concern. BASF maintained that a spray buffer could offset this risk, without 
excluding entire adjacent counties. 

   However, EPA said using BASF's proposed "refinements" to its analysis would 
require "further agency analysis and sufficient vetting, which cannot be 
conducted and properly vetted for their incorporation into the current action 
at this time." 

   You can find the counties where Alite 27 is legal to use at the bottom of 
the herbicide's new label here: 
https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/007969-00433-20200326.pdf. 
Keep in mind that no other isoxaflutole formulations are legal to use on LL 
GT27 soybeans. 

   Alite 27 is registered for use as a preplant, preemergence and postemergence 
herbicide, up to the R1 stage of growth, but only in GT27 soybeans. Non-GT27 
soybeans will be susceptible to injury from Alite 27, the label warns. 

   The herbicide has residual activity and has shown good weed control when it 
is tank mixed with other herbicides such as glufosinate, University of 
Tennessee weed scientist Larry Steckel told DTN. 

   "It's a good one-two punch on pigweed," he said. "And it should be a big 
help on our grasses from a preemergence application standpoint." 

   Both BASF and the label recommend that Alite 27 be tank-mixed with other 
herbicides to reduce the risk of herbicide resistance. 

   "One of the biggest challenges growers face is resistant weeds, and the 
soybean market needed a new residual active ingredient to help fight against 
them," said Darren Unland, BASF Technical Marketing Manager, in the company's 
press release. 

   As a restricted use pesticide, Alite 27 can only be applied by certified 
applicators or people under their supervision, and its label has a long list of 
use restrictions, including: 

   --no aerial applications

   --no applications through irrigation systems

   --no applications when wind speeds surpass 10 mph or a temperature inversion 
is underway

   --no applications in non-irrigated areas with less than 15 inches of rainfall

   --no applications to low-organic-matter soils or soils with a pH above 7.5

   --no more than two applications per growing year, for an annual maximum 
application rate of 3 ounces per acre

   --no tank mixes with organophosphate or carbamate insecticides, and no 
applications within 7 days of such insecticide applications 

   --soil-type and water-table specific limitations on use

   Read more about EPA's registration decision here: 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2019-0398. 

   See the BASF press release here: 
https://www.basf.com/us/en/media/news-releases/2020/03/basf-s-alite-27-herbicide
-receives-epa-registration-.html. 

   Emily Unglesbee can be reached at Emily.unglesbee@dtn.com

   Follow her on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee 

    


(PS/CZ)

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