More tools to combat weed resistance

SEYMOUR, Ill. — A trio of new herbicide products to control tough weeds with anticipated launches in 2027 were highlighted at the recent BASF Showcase Plot Tour.

According to the International Herbicide-Resistant Weed Database, Illinois has 30 unique herbicide-resistant weeds, and Indiana has 18.

The most recent addition was in late 2025 when the University of Illinois confirmed a glufosinate resistance in tall waterhemp and Group 15 herbicide resistance in a giant foxtail population.

Jared Roskamp, BASF technical service representative in western Illinois and Missouri, said the company’s goal is to provide additional options to control weeds.

“Our goal is to continue to spend the money that people pay for our products and reinvest it back into our research and development pipeline,” he said.

“It’s neat to have three of them coming up. Some of them are premixes, and we’ve had to figure out ways to do that and make them effective. Others are brand-new active ingredients.

“It’s really a great showcase of what BASF is offering as far as our pipeline and the investment we’re putting back in to continue to find new tools for growers.”

Zidua PLUS

Among the new herbicides heading toward a launch is Zidua PLUS, a residual for soybeans.

“That’s the one that we’re going to have for sale in the fall going into 2027,” Roskamp said.

Zidua PLUS is a combination of Zidua and Pursuit with pre- and post-application flexibility.

“The value of that product that we’ve seen in plots and what we’ve designed it for is we tend to plant really fast right now, especially early in the year, and we struggle to keep up with spraying. So, we found that the traditional PPO-based herbicides that we’ve used in soybeans forever are limited because crops get up fast,” Roskamp said.

“We still have that with Zidua PRO, our PPO offering, but where we need more flexibility, this is an offering that is not straight goods pyroxasulfone like we have with Zidua SC, but when you add the Pursuit it expands the weed-control spectrum. So, we start to pick up broadleaf weeds and grasses.

“We still get all the waterhemp control from the Zidua, but we gave you more of a foundational start by not missing some weeds that would leak through if you just use Zidua alone.”

Zidua PLUS has received federal registration for its label and awaits approval from the states.

Ridivex

Approval of another new product, Ridivex, a long-lasting residual, is anticipated for some time in 2027.

“I don’t know if we’ll have it in time for sale yet, but we anticipate it in the queue any day,” Roskamp said.

Ridivex is a combination of Status and Zidua.

“We’ve looked at more of our challenged acres, especially in Illinois, where we’re seeing HPPD resistance grow, specifically on waterhemp. HPPDs are still very important. We use them as soil residuals and we use them for a lot of other weeds, but when it comes to waterhemp, we’re using a lot more Status today. A lot of that is the dicamba products are very effective on those species and on waterhemp that is even HPPD resistant,” Roskamp said.

“Knowing that we’re using it more, we wanted to pair it with a residual so they can use it earlier in more of a planned application and utilize it for a full program. We tend to use Status now as maybe more of an add-in or a late-season pass. Ridivex allows us to be more flexible in that timing, put it out earlier and really pick that day that’s right to go out and put it on and get the full spectrum of control and residual.”

Voraxor

Tirexor, a Group 14 herbicide, is a new, unique active ingredient in BASF’s Voraxor herbicide burndown that provides pre-seed control for corn, soybeans and wheat.

“Voraxor is really exciting. We anticipate that label here before the end of the year, as well. As long as we get that, we should be selling it for 2027,” Roskamp said.

“Voraxor is a product combination of Sharpen, which we currently sell today, plus a second PPO product which would be a new active into the market. That second PPO product adds additional burndown and spectrum. The really unique thing is we’ve seen an increase in control of PPO-resistant waterhemp.

“We’re providing everything you’ve got with Sharpen, plus some more. It’s not giving up any crop safety, so we don’t have any additional restrictions. You’ll be able to plan it in most soil types right away, and we’ll be able to get more weed control and more knockdown.”