Valent Expands Availability of Maverick Corn Herbicide
As the 2024 growing season approaches, Valent has expanded the availability of their Maverick corn herbicide– the company's first entry into the corn herbicide market.
Now Maverick can be used to control common problem weeds such as waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, annual grasses, and more. It also has application flexibility from preplant up to 18 in. and low-use rates for in-field handling and mixing.
The product's three key ingredients are clopyralid, a Group 4 - Plant-Growth Inhibitor; mesotrione, a Group 27- HPPD Inhibitor; and pyroxasulfone, a Group 15 - Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acid (VLCFA) Inhibitor. Pyroxasulfone is what the company believes sets Maverick apart from many other corn herbicides.
"It's very important to have the wide application window with Maverick," says Jon Kohrt, product development manager for Maverick. "Things get delayed, pushed back, weather comes in and you don't get rainfall or too much rainfall. So being able to make applications later in the season and have that flexibility helps the grower and time management."
The application rate for Maverick ranges from 14 to 32 fl. oz. 14 fl. oz. is the post-emergence rate and 18 to 32 fl. oz. is for pre-emergence application.
"Corn herbicides are generally higher in use rates because there are a lot of pre-mixes out there. You're ranging anywhere from a quart to three quarts," Kohrt says. "Having something with good application flexibility at this low use rate with 14 to 32 fl. oz. is extremely beneficial and much easier to handle for the grower and applicator."
Through Valent's trials and experiments over the past five years, they have not found compatibility issues between Maverick and atrazine, starter fertilizers or fertilizer carriers. Kohrt also adds that in a time of increased extreme weather events, they have seen the product stays in the soil and provides weed control in most adverse weather conditions.
"When Maverick is purchased by the grower, they can trust that it's been evaluated, we know how it's going to perform and it performs across a wide geography," Kohrt says.
The product will be available to growers later in 2023. Due to supply availability, Valent will mainly focus on the Midwest and a select group of retailers.
