Updated: March 2, 2021
The Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System continues to be the leading weed-control system among U.S. soybean and cotton growers.
St. Louis, March 2, 2021
This season, with the new 5-year registration for XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology and the introduction of XtendFlex® soybeans, U.S. growers using the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System have more options, flexibility, and support than ever before to help them have a successful 2021.
“Helping growers protect their crops and have successful harvests is what we do,” said Alex Zenteno, dicamba product manager. “We are excited to bring U.S. soybean and cotton growers these tools in 2021, and we will continue to support our customers to help with proper stewardship so they can achieve great weed control and strong harvests.”
Bayer is offering a variety of free training options – including live webinars every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Central through the end of March 2021, self-guided online modules, and limited in-person workshops for customers unable to connect online – so that applicators can safely and effectively prepare for the season. We will continue offering training up until the application cutoff dates this summer. Applicators can sign up for training at RoundupReadyXtend.com/Training. XtendiMax herbicide remains a restricted use pesticide (RUP) and all certified applicators must undergo annual training to use the technology.
“Our convenient online training options, not surprisingly, have been really popular this year,” said Mark Groth, dicamba product stewardship lead. “The webinars allow trainees to ask questions and interact real-time with Bayer weed scientists. We are also providing customer technical support through our 1-844- RRXTEND line to assist with a seamless virtual experience. The participation and feedback have been very positive, and all indications are that applicators are poised to have a successful season with the new XtendiMax herbicide label.”
The new EPA-approved product label for XtendiMax herbicide includes the following:
The Bayer-led trainings explain the new label requirements in a clear and easy-to-understand way. Bayer has also updated the XtendiMaxApplicationRequirements.com webpage, which details the application requirements, including the approved tank mix products, volatility reduction adjuvants (VRAs), nozzles, and drift reduction technologies. Even more resources are available at RoundupReadyXtend.com to supplement the trainings and further help ensure growers and applicators understand and can successfully use the technology.
Regarding VRAs, Bayer has enabled the launch of VaporGrip® Xtra Agent products that deliver additional VaporGrip® Technology to spray tanks for further reduction of potential dicamba volatility. Click here for a VaporGrip® Xtra Agent one-pager that details the extensive testing behind this VRA that has been conducted by both Bayer and U.S. academic weed scientists. A list of approved VRAs is available here: XtendiMaxApplicationRequirements.com/#/VRAlist.
“The Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System gives growers the best opportunity to maximize yield potential,” said Megan McQuoid, soybean trait marketing manager. “It controls more weeds than any other soybean system.1 When it comes to yields, harvest results from 2020 confirm that Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® Soybeans, as part of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, has an average 3.5 bushel per acre yield advantage and a 78% win rate over the competition in farmer-managed trials.2 And 2020 trials of the new top volume XtendFlex soybeans show an average 4 bushel per acre yield advantage and a 70% win rate over the competition in germplasm trials."3 More details available at RoundupReadyXtend.com/YieldResults.
To further help growers be successful in 2021, Bayer is offering the Bayer Plus Rewards program and an enhanced Spray Early with Confidence program. Bayer Plus Rewards will give qualifying growers using XtendiMax herbicide the opportunity to earn rewards and cash back. Spray Early with Confidence is designed to help growers create effective weed-management programs and provide growers a weed-control guarantee of up to $15/acre when the programs are followed. The 2021 Spray Early with Confidence program has been enhanced to provide more choice and to offer a 21-day broadleaf weed-control guarantee for growers using XtendiMax herbicide together with a pre-residual with two active ingredients.
During the 2021 season, Bayer is committed to staying connected with growers and keeping them informed about any new resources, programs, and other developments related to the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. The RoundupReadyXtend.com website will continue to serve as a central resource for the latest updates and materials, and the 1-844-RRXTEND call center is again open to growers, applicators, and others who have questions or inquiries about applications, potential off-target movement, or weed management. Those who reach out to Bayer through the 1-844-RRXTEND call center will be contacted within 48 hours to arrange a field visit.
Bayer: Science for a Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
Contact: Bayer – Kyel Richard, 573-356-0241 kyel.richard@bayer.com
1 Based on approved EPA herbicide labels for the herbicides recommended for use in each soybean system as of January 2021. 2 2020 Farmer Managed Soybean System Trials (57 locations in 2020 reporting data located with 5-IA, 4-IL, 8-IN, 4-KS, 1-KY, 3-MI, 9-MN, 2-MO, 4-ND, 5-NE, 4-OH, 2-PA, 6-SD). Significant at P ≤ 0.05 LSD at 1.0 Bu/A as of 11/23/2020. Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System data = Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans with a farmer-selected weed control program that may include dicamba, glyphosate and various residual herbicides. Enlist™ Weed Control System data = Enlist E3® soybeans with a farmer-selected weed control program that may include glyphosate, Enlist One® herbicide, Liberty® 280 SL herbicide and various residual herbicides. 3 Data as of October 22, 2020. 2020 Bayer Commercial Germplasm Trials (94 locations in 2020 reporting data located in IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, SD, TN, and WI) Bayer Commercial Germplasm Trials = 9 of the top 10 volume forecasted XtendFlex products.
The new registration follows launch announcement for XtendFlex® soybeans and enables full potential of industry-leading Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System
St. Louis, October 27, 2020
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new 5-year registration for XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology, an important weed-control tool for many U.S. growers. The EPA stated that “With today’s decision, farmers now have the certainty they need to make plans for their 2021 growing season. After reviewing substantial amounts of new information, conducting scientific assessments based on the best available science, and carefully considering input from stakeholders we have reached a resolution that is good for our farmers and our environment."
“We welcome the EPA’s science-based review and registration decision providing growers access to this important tool,” said Lisa Safarian, President of Bayer Crop Science North America. “Growers need options, and we are proud of our role in bringing innovations like XtendiMax herbicide forward to help growers safely and successfully protect their crops from tough-to-control weeds.”
The new EPA-approved product label for XtendiMax herbicide includes some changes to further ensure growers can use the product successfully. The EPA stated, “To manage off-site movement of dicamba, EPA’s 2020 registration features important control measures, including:
“Growers have been clear how vitally important this tool is for their weed-management programs,” said Alex Zenteno, Bayer dicamba product manager. “The EPA’s strong science-based decision and new measures, including the introduction of VaporGrip® Xtra Agent, will help growers use the product even more successfully. We look forward to working with growers to ensure they are aware of the new XtendiMax herbicide label and prepared for the upcoming season. We take our stewardship responsibility very seriously, and we will continue to enhance our trainings, resources, and other support heading into 2021.”
The new EPA registration for XtendiMax herbicide follows Bayer’s recent launch announcement for XtendFlex® soybeans, which brings additional yield potential and weed-control flexibility to the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System.
“Now that growers have certainty about the registration of XtendiMax herbicide and availability of XtendFlex soybeans, we are excited for our customers to have an outstanding 2021 season and beyond,” said Safarian. “We are committed to the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, which will continue to evolve and play an important role in Bayer’s crop protection and seed portfolio going forward.”
The Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System Yield Advantage
“The 2020 season was unique in many aspects, but the yield advantage seen by farmers using the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System proved to be consistently high once again,” said John Chambers, Bayer’s North American Head of Market Development. “Harvest results so far show that the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System has an average 3.5 bushel per acre yield advantage1 over the Enlist™ Weed Control System in farmer managed herbicide systems trials. We’ve seen consistent performance with a 75% win rate across these comparisons. Overall, farmers continue to experience excellent weed control with higher profit potential. We encourage our customers to connect with their local seed seller to understand local performance and product recommendations.”
“In the early results from Bayer’s commercial germplasm trials, farmers continue to experience high-yield performance and the solid agronomics they have come to expect,” added Chambers. “When we look at the performance of Bayer’s top volume XtendFlex® soybean products, they have won over 70% of the comparisons against Enlist E3™ soybeans so far and are delivering a 4+ bushel per acre advantage.2”
“In addition, cotton with XtendFlex® Technology continues to see strong yield potential and agronomic results from what has been harvested thus far,” added Chambers. “Bayer looks forward to sharing the yield results shortly after harvest. From 2017-2019, Bollgard® 3 XtendFlex® cotton saw an 87 lbs. per acre advantage vs. key competitors in head-to-head testing.3”
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Bayer stands fully behind our Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, including the seeds, traits, and XtendiMax herbicide. We are proud of our role in bringing innovations like these forward to help growers safely and successfully grow healthy crops.
The new EPA registration for XtendiMax herbicide follows Bayer’s recent launch announcement for XtendFlex® soybeans, which brings additional yield potential and weed-control flexibility to the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. Now that growers have certainty about the registration of XtendiMax herbicide and availability of XtendFlex soybeans, we are excited for our customers to have an outstanding 2021 season and beyond. We are committed to the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, which will continue to evolve and play an important role in Bayer’s crop protection and seed portfolio going forward.
Growers can find application requirements at xtendimaxapplicationrequirements.com. Additional resources will be added to our webpage before the 2021 spray season.
We will keep RoundupReadyXtend.com updated with the latest state approval information.
XtendiMax herbicide and other low volatility dicamba formulations can be applied over the top of dicamba tolerant cotton and soybeans within the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. These traits include:
The new product label includes additional measures, including increased downwind buffers, to further reduce the potential for off-target movement and further strengthen the product registration. It is important to emphasize that if a user determines that adjacent sensitive crops and/or certain plants are downwind the label requires that the user DO NOT SPRAY this product.
In ESA counties, a 310-foot in-field wind-directional spray-drift buffer, and a 57-foot omnidirectional in- field buffer is required to protect federally listed threatened and endangered species. The increased downwind buffer provides an added level of protection for endangered and threatened species in EPA's assessment.
The new product label includes additional measures to further strengthen the product registration, including a more simplified label for increased ease of use. Calendar cut-off dates are easy to follow and provide a clear definition on when the product can no longer be used.
We look forward to working with growers to ensure they are aware of the new XtendiMax herbicide label and prepared for the upcoming season. Importantly, mandatory applicator training and record keeping remain important requirements with the new XtendiMax product label. We take our stewardship responsibility very seriously, and we will continue to enhance our trainings, resources, and other support heading into 2021.
Resources will include the following:
Dicamba-based training required for all users will also be available starting in early January. More details about our training and stewardship efforts are available here.
We are always looking to evolve and further enhance all our products to help our customers maximize success.
We stand fully behind our low-volatility XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology formulation. For the last four seasons, the vast majority of growers have reported successful on-target applications when following the label. Still, we support any enhancements that further improve our already low-volatility XtendiMax herbicide formulation. VaporGrip Xtra Agent provides an increased reduction of dicamba volatility potential when added to the tank and we believe this will bring additional comfort and success to growers and applicators.
VaporGrip® Xtra Agent is a tank mix adjuvant that delivers additional Vaporgrip® Technology to spray tanks for further reduction of potential dicamba volatility.
Volatility is the movement of an herbicide as a gas or vapor after spray application. It results from molecules vaporizing into the air after the molecules have settled. We discovered a technology, called “VaporGrip Technology,” that reduces the volatility potential of XtendiMax herbicide by 90% compared to older dicamba products. Click here for a video explaining how VaporGrip Technology works.
VaporGrip® Technology buffers against significant changes in solution pH and prevents the formation of dicamba acid by scavenging extraneous protons.
The XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology formulation already includes VaporGrip Technology in the jug. VaporGrip Xtra Agent is an adjuvant that delivers additional VaporGrip Technology and is added to the spray tank (a separate jug) for further reduction of dicamba volatility.
VaporGrip® Xtra Agent should be used at a minimum rate of 20 oz/A.
VaporGrip® Xtra Agent has been thoroughly tested in field trials by Bayer and US academic weed scientists
This product can be used with any dicamba product to further reduce volatility potential. VaporGrip Xtra Agent products can be used with XtendiMax herbicide and other low-volatility dicamba products as long as the product is an approved tank mix partner.
Growers and applicators can purchase VaporGrip® Xtra Agent products through their preferred retailer.
VaporGrip Xtra Agent products will be widely available at retailer locations in time for the 2021 spray season.
You can refer to the VaporGrip Xtra Agent one-pager.
Bayer has partnered with Adjuvants Unlimited to provide sprayers with D-Act® Spray System Cleaner, which utilizes Fenton reaction technology. The D-Act Tank Cleaner one-pager can be found here.
Bayer will be communicating all programs that include XtendiMax herbicide by mid-November.
Yes, Bayer will offer the 2021 Spray Early with Confidence Weed Control Guarantee. Details can be found here.
No, the Plant with Confidence offer is now cancelled/voided since the EPA has issued a new registration for XtendiMax herbicide and other low-volatility dicamba products prior to February 20, 2021.
On Sept. 28, 2020, the European Commission authorized XtendFlex soybean technology for food, feed, import and processing in the European Union. This milestone represents the final key authorization for XtendFlex soybeans. With this approval in hand, Bayer can now look forward to a full launch in the United States and Canada in 2021 and expects to be in a strong position to supply 20 million U.S. soy acres. More details can be found here.
1 2020 Farmer Managed Soybean System Trials (40 locations in 2020 reporting data located in IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, PA, and SD). Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System data = Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans with a farmer-selected weed control program that may include dicamba, glyphosate and various residual herbicides. Enlist® Weed Control System data = Enlist E3™ soybeans with a farmer-selected weed control program that may include glyphosate, 2,4-D, Liberty® 280 SL herbicide and various residual herbicides.
2 2020 Bayer Commercial Germplasm Trials (94 locations in 2020 reporting data located in IL, IN, IA, KS, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, SD, TN, and WI) Bayer Commercial Germplasm Trials = 9 of the top 10 volume forecasted XtendFlex products.
3 Data as of February 4, 2020. Yield advantage calculated comparing top 3 Bollgard® 3 XtendFlex® varieties by region to top planted Phytogen WideStrike® 3 with Roundup Ready® Flex and Enlist™ varieties by region (USDA – Varieties Planted report – 2019). Texas regions include DP 1820 B3XF, DP 1845 B3XF, DP 1948 B3XF, DP 1835 B3XF, DP 1916 B3XF vs. PHY 250 W3FE, PHY 300 W3FE, PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 350 W3FE, PHY 480 W3FE, PHY 490 W3FE. Midsouth region includes CG 9608 B3XF, DG 3520 B3XF, DG 3570 B3XF vs. PHY 320 W3FE, PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 350 W3FE, PHY 430 W3FE, PHY 580 W3FE. Southeast and Carolinas region includes DG 3615 B3XF, CG 9608 B3XF, DG 3753 B3XF vs. PHY 300 W3FE, PHY 320 W3FE, PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 340 W3FE, PHY 350 W3FE, PHY 430 W3FE, PHY 440 W3FE, PHY 480 W3FE, PHY 580 W3FE. N= 503 trials (Bayer internal trials and Public Testing) 2017-2019.