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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387023

Research Project: Enhancing Agricultural Management and Conservation Practices by Advancing Measurement Techniques and Improving Modeling Across Scales

Location: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory

Title: Conversations about the future of dicamba: the science behind off target movement

Author
item RITER, L.S. - Collaborator
item PAI, N. - Collaborator
item VIERIA, B.C. - University Of Nebraska
item MACINNES, A. - Collaborator
item REISS, R. - Exponent
item Hapeman, Cathleen
item KRUGER, G.R. - Collaborator

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2021
Publication Date: 11/24/2021
Citation: Riter, L., Pai, N., Vieria, B., Macinnes, A., Reiss, R., Hapeman, C.J., Kruger, G. 2021. Conversations about the future of dicamba: the science behind off target movement. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 69:14435-14444. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c05589.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c05589

Interpretive Summary: Dicamba is a common herbicide used in producing many crops. However, dicamba can move through the air, deposit on sensitive crops, and potentially decrease crop yields. In this study, many concepts were synthesized to show how scientists and engineers have designed strategies to prevent dicamba from becoming airborne. Specifically, this study shows how concepts from chemists, engineers, and plant scientists need to be communicated to farmers, producers, and applicators to ensure that dicamba is used properly and effectively. The conclusions of this study will assist advisors and extension agents in designing course materials that communicate the science and engineering issues most effectively while diminishing potential dicamba challenges.

Technical Abstract: Dicamba is an important herbicide for controlling post-emergent resistant weeds in soybean farming. However, recent events have led the scientific community and general public to re-examine off-target transport mechanisms (i.e., spray drift, volatilization, tank contamination) and the visual responses of soybeans to ultra-low dicamba concentrations. This paper synthesizes key chemistries and environmental processes associated with dicamba formulations, transport mechanisms, drift measurements, and plant responses. Critical research gaps are identified, and a path forward is proposed to increase our understanding of and to communicate the science findings which should provide farmers with more robust tools and practices for more sustainable dicamba use.