In just the past two years, the number of glyphosate-resistant weeds in the U.S. has tripled. To help growers manage resistance, Syngenta created the Resistance Fighter Resistance Management Module, a unique tool to find herbicide solutions tailored to individual fields.

The interactive solutions module allows growers to input attributes unique to their farm and management style, generating a personalized herbicide program designed to fit their needs. Each solution is customized by crop, weed, county, state, preferred management methods and history of resistance.

The Resistance Fighter Resistance Management Module offers growers more than 3,000 possible customized solutions. It is currently available on the Syngenta resistance management Web site, resistancefighter.com.

“I stood side-by-side with a grower looking at a field overrun with glyphosate-resistant weeds,” says Chuck Foresman, manager of weed resistance strategies for Syngenta. “He said that pigweed isn’t his number one problem, it’s his number one, two and three problems. It was at the point where he was determining whether or not that property could be used for farming. Growers are looking for answers and this module provides a step in the right direction. It’s a valuable resource for both growers and retailers.”

Emphasized by the recent confirmation of glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed in Indiana and Ohio, glyphosate resistance remains a real and growing threat. Each new species brings an additional challenge to management programs. Weeds such as lambsquarters, waterhemp and pigweed are not as easily managed as horseweed (marestail) and if glyphosate is lost as a tool to control them, there are few alternatives. In addition, resistance to multiple modes of action is already a reality in some weed populations, limiting options even further.

“Unfortunately, there is a mindset by some that chemical companies are going to develop a new product to alleviate glyphosate resistance before it becomes a bigger problem,” says Foresman. “That ‘silver bullet’ isn’t coming anytime in the near future. We need to be looking at the herbicide programs available today and other cultural options, and make the best use of those tools. That’s where this module can help.”

Along with specific glyphosate-resistance product solutions, Syngenta recommends pre-emergence, residual herbicides on glyphosate-tolerant crop acres and 2-1-2 as a resistance management program for corn and soybean growers – no more than two applications of glyphosate on one field over a two-year period. Understanding resistance allows growers to proactively develop a management program to delay glyphosate resistance and maintain full yield potential year after year. Knowing the best options available on a field-by-field basis keeps growers one step ahead. For more information on the Syngenta Resistance Fighter Resistance Management Module and management options, visit resistancefighter.com.

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2005 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs some 19,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further information is available at www.syngenta.com.