Contributed by Mitiku Mamo, UNL Extension Educator, Crops and Water, for Cedar, Dixon, Knox, and Wayne Counties.
As you may remember, on June 3, 2020 the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit Court issued a ruling that vacated registration for three dicamba products namely, XtendiMax, FeXapan, and Engenia, primarily used for Dicamba-resistant soybean.
However, US Environmental Protection Agency (Commonly known as the EPA), on October 27, 2020, through its Administrator, Andrew Wheeler announced that EPA is approving new five year registrations for two dicamba products and extend registration of an additional dicamba product. According to the announcement, all three dicamba products include new control measures to ensure effective use of these products while protecting the environment, including non-target plants, animals, and other crops not tolerant to dicamba.
XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology and Engenia are the two over the top dicamba products for which EPA has approved new registrations. EPA also extended registration for Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology, another over the top dicamba product. These registrations are only for use on dicamba tolerant cotton and soybeans and will expire in 2025.
The EPA administrator stated that, with this decision, farmers will have the certainty they need to make plans for their 2021 growing season and beyond.
To manage off-site movement of dicamba, EPA’s 2020 registration features important control measures, including:
- Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent (also called a Volatility Reduction Agent or VRA) be tank mixed with OTT dicamba products prior to all applications to control volatility.
- Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed species are located.
- Prohibiting OTT application of dicamba on soybeans after June 30 and cotton after July 30.
For more information on the new control measures and other related issues, please refer to 2020 registration label of the products or contact your local Extension Educator.