Widespread grower acceptance resulted in the rapid adoption of Lexar® corn herbicide during its first use season in 2005. Formulated for conventional or glyphosate-tolerant (GT) corn acres in the Central and Southern Corn Belts, Lexar set a new performance standard, resulting in clean fields and yield results that growers could see in the bin at harvest.

More than 2 million acres across the Corn Belt were treated with Lexar. Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Nebraska led the nation in treated acres.

“Lexar provides the added punch needed to manage problem broadleaf weeds in corn,” said Pat Steiner, Lexar brand manager, Syngenta Crop Protection. “We are excited to deliver this product to corn growers in areas where one-pass weed control has been difficult to achieve before now.”

Lexar provides excellent, season-long weed management in a single pass on most corn acres. This is achieved through the combination of three powerful active ingredients, each with a different mode of action. This combination eliminates weeds early and keeps them out of the field through harvest, allowing each corn hybrid to reach its full yield potential. Its one-pass performance is a major step in simplicity and convenience for growers in the Central and Southern corn-growing regions.

“I used Lexar at its full rate in a one-pass application and there was no need to go back,” said Mike Boyd of Washington, Ind. “Not having to respray saved time and money, and we plan to use it on more acres in 2006.”

Growers and retailers also appreciate the best-in-class crop safety of Lexar. “The ingredients in Lexar make it a safer option for crops than its competitors,” said Jared Burkholder of Falor Farm Center in Delta, Ohio. “The Callisto® component of Lexar is extremely safe to crops.” Because of its crop tolerance, Lexar can be used in seed corn and yellow popcorn, in addition to field corn and field silage corn.

Those who live in areas where ALS-, triazine- or glyphosate-resistant weeds have been a problem value the multiple modes of action in Lexar, which allow it to effectively manage resistant weed biotypes. Additionally, using Lexar in GT corn helps break the glyphosate cycle. Its broad-spectrum residual control reduces the stress of making precisely timed glyphosate applications in unpredictable weather conditions.

”The three modes of action in Lexar help fight against resistance,” said Rodney Hall, crop sales specialist at Westland Co-op in Lafayette, Ind. “We have triazine-resistant weeds in this area and we’ve seen weeds becoming more tolerant or resistant to glyphosate. That’s why I tell our customers to use a product like Lexar with multiple modes of action and to rotate their crops each year.”

Lexar is the third product introduced by Syngenta that is powered by mesotrione, the active ingredient that was first made popular in the post-emerge corn herbicide, Callisto. This is Callisto Plant TechnologyTM and it brings unprecedented broadleaf weed control and exceptional crop safety to Lexar and LUMAX® that the competition cannot match. 

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).

Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using these products. Lexar and LUMAX are Restricted Use Pesticides. Lexar®, LUMAX®, Callisto®, Callisto Plant Technology™ and the Syngenta logo are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.