Herbicide resistance a problem . . . for somebody else

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The third annual Ipsos Reid herbicide resistance poll commissioned by chemical company BASF Canada Inc. has come back with some interesting results. The December telephone poll of 500 farmers found that 86 per cent said "weed resistance is of increasing concern" and 89 per cent said "they will modify their growing practices to address herbicide resistance on their farm." However, fewer than 44 per cent say they themselves have resistant weeds.

The survey goes on to indicate that 96 per cent of those surveyed use herbicides from more than one group and 98 per cent agree crop rotation is a good way to reduce herbicide resistance (but it seems doubtful whether they were asked about restricting herbicide use).

According to the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds, Canada has 60 types of herbicide-resistant weeds, 34 of which are found in Ontario. Canada has the third-highest number of resistant weeds in the world. BF