There hasn’t been a new herbicide in the corn and soybean space commercialized since the HPPD inhibitors (Group 27) in around 25 years.
That’s changing, though. At the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., Brian Naber, who heads the North America and Australia-New Zealand Region for Bayer Crop Science, discussed a new herbicide with a site of action that’s truly new. In fact, it’s so new it hasn’t even been assigned a herbicide group number.
Called Icafolin herbicide, the compound is a postemergence product that Bayer has developed for several crops including soybeans. Naber expects it to be commercialized in the next four to five years.
“Since it’s a completely new mode of action, you see a completely different set of visual symptomology about how it kills and controls the weed,” Naber says.
Bayer scientists observe treated weeds becoming “frozen” in the fields, meaning they stop competing with crops for water, nutrients and sunlight. However, the dead weeds remain in the field longer because they largely maintain their structure. This creates a mulch layer that helps prevent erosion and trap moisture in the soil, say Bayer officials. By providing effective weed control, it reduces the need for tillage and supports regenerative practices that can improve soil health, they say.
New Group 12 herbicide
Bayer is also planning to bring a new Group 12 herbicide to market. Diflufenican herbicide, which will be marketed under the brand name Convintro, will be a soybean burndown and preemergence product primarily aimed at waterhemp and Palmer amaranth. It also will be a weed control corn for tool, say Bayer officials.
Diflufenican is not new chemistry, as it has been used for years in Europe to manage broadleaf weeds in crops such as lentils and winter cereals. However, it will be new to the United States. Bayer expects this chemistry to be available to U.S. farmers in 2026, pending regulatory approval.
Potential dicamba comeback
Dicamba formulations for dicamba-tolerant formulations have a complicated history.
In 2017, dicamba-tolerant soybeans were matched to EPA-approved dicamba formulations in the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend System. Although good to excellent weed control resulted from applications, state departments of agriculture soon reported an uptick in off-target dicamba complaints.
This coincided with legal action taken by environmental groups. Eventually, they were successful in an Arizona U.S. District Court vacating all dicamba labels for use in soybeans in February 2024. This led to unavailability of dicamba formulations for dicamba-tolerant soybeans in 2025.
This may change, though. This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency opened a comment period for potential use once again of dicamba products used in dicamba-tolerant soybeans.
Naber says he is optimistic dicamba may return for use as a preplant and postemergence herbicide for dicamba-tolerant soybeans in 2026. So far in the public comment period, there are indications that the rate of volatility reduction agents will be increased and that states may use temperature as a guideline for dicamba applications.
“We’re confident the tool will come back,” Naber says. “It will be a highly effective tool, and we’ll be able to keep it where it’s supposed to be.”