Proven seed GMO?

[dan]

I have been informed that proven seed using odessy & pursuit or not GMO's is this true? Besides the fact that the costs are lower any other reasons to grow or not grow there seed? Iam looking for weed control on last years bucwheat ground & its getting presty wet & late for edge. Thanks

[mhartman]

Yes it is true that 'Smart' varieties (Pursuit, Odyssey, Freedom Gold tolerance) were developed with traditional breeding techniques and are not transgenically modified. Plant breeders found the herbicide tolerance in a wild relative and crossbred it in.

[emiled]

Smart canolas -- There are 4 varieties to pick from -- All are good performers but there some differences in lodging resistance. In terms of weed control, Pursuit and Odyssey control a wide array of broadleafs. Both products are especially good at controlling chickweed, cleavers, and storksbill. Part of the reason they provide good control of these types of weeds is because they are residual in nature and control re-occurring flushes of these types of weeds. You also need to watch re-cropping restrictions with both these products. Pursuit is weak in controlling wild oats so a tank mix with a wild oat herbicide like Poast is recommended. Both of these products are group 2 herbicides - take a close look at your herbicide rotation as well.

[kfournier]

Thought you might be interested in a farmers perspective from one that has grown smart canola. I have grown these canolas for 3 years now and have had good success. This year the field I planted it on had a heavy infestation of buckwheat and when I was spraying I was wondering if I should be plowing it under. I used Freedom Gold and when it came harvest time the field was very clean. The chemical did stunt the crop for about 3 weeks and I was wondering if it would recover but all turned out well. We found that the 45A71 is still the best variety and it will yield with any other variety out there. Many producers in the area were talked into growing one of the newer varieties because Proven Seeds claimed you would get higher yield and an earlier maturity. It turned out that the yield was no better and the maturity lagged about 5 to 6 days behind. I think all the seed companies are making overly optimistic expectations for their newer varieties to entice us into buying them as it is easy to clean up your seed from the year before (no restrictions as in roundup ready varieties as long as you don't sell it to anybody.) As far as the chemicals, Pursuit works well most years but with drought stress it is weak on grassy weeds and does work better when tank mixed with a product like Poast. A big concern in our area is that we also like to grow peas and Pursuit has a carryover which will build up if used to many years close together. Therefore everybody is only using a 1/2 rate of Pursuit and tank mixing with Poast of Select. Odyssey only has 1/3 the amount of the pursuit ingredient in it so it's also a good choice. Freedom Gold is the best choice to avoid chemical carrover but many people found it hard on the canola this year. Overall the smart canolas are working well for me but I still grow some of the conventional varieties as well. I am somewhat concerned about acceptance of the GMO canolas with Europe and Japan and have stayed away from thes varieties this past year. Roundup is not very effective on buckwheat at the 1/2 litre/acre rate. I am sure other growers though will have had different experiences with these varieties and it all comes down to what will work for you in your situation.