Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Jourdan Bell, 806-677-5600, jourdan.bell@ag.tamu.edu
AMARILLO – The Texas Department of Agriculture will require special training in 2018 for new auxin herbicides applied under a Section 3 approval on dicamba-tolerant and 2,4-D-tolerant cotton.
Special training will be required for cotton farmers to apply new auxin herbicides beginning in 2018.
To meet this requirement, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Amarillo will host three trainings – Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 9 – at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo.
The programs will each be from 8:30-9:30 a.m. There will be no registration fee. Each class will provide one TDA continuing education unit on laws and regulations.
“TDA is requiring auxin-specific herbicide training for those using the new formulations of dicamba (Xtendimax, FeXapan and Engenia),” said Dr. Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist, Amarillo. “The auxin training is required for all applicators including licensed applicators and unlicensed applicators who spray under a licensed applicator.”
Xtendimax, FeXapan and Engenia were approved for use in XtendFlex, the dicamba-tolerant cotton from Monsanto. Training is not required for the use of Enlist, the new 2,4-D tolerant cotton from Dow AgroSciences.
However, Bell said, the information provided will still be applicable for producers planning to use Enlist technology.
Enlist is included in several varieties in the PhytoGen Cottonseed company brand while XtendFlex is in several varieties from Deltapine, Americot/NexGen, All-Tex/Dyna-Gro and CROPLAN Genetics brands.
She said the training is not required for old formulations such as Weedmaster, Clarity or Banvel.
AgriLife Extension county agents will be trained so they can also provide training in their counties, but all are welcome at the trainings in Amarillo, Bell said.
“Last year there were issues in other cotton-growing regions,” Bell said. “Fortunately, there were very few issues reported in Texas. As we plan for our 2018 cotton crop, we want to be proactive and promote stewardship of the new dicamba formulations so we can maintain the technology in Texas.”
Bell said when the Environmental Protection Agency approved the registration for XtendiMax, FeXapan and Engenia, it was a two-year conditional registration.
More information about the requirements from TDA can be found at https://agrilife.org/texasrowcrops/current-news/.