Kugler touts its KQ-XRN product as the “Perfect Delivery System” for crop protection chemicals in foliar applications, due to its unique stickiness that keeps it on plant leaves for weeks. Now, after vigorous testing, KQ-XRN and KS2075—also formulated with KQ-XRN technology—have been approved by the EPA for use as a carrier for Engenia herbicide from BASF and XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology from Monsanto. Both are restricted-use dicamba herbicide products labeled for dicamba-tolerant crops that have been formulated to reduce dicamba drift and volatilization.
“With proper application, both new dicamba formulations have the potential to deliver the kind of effective, on-target solution growers have been looking for to control tough, glyphosate-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, velvetleaf, morning glory and giant ragweed,” says John Kugler, co-president of Kugler Company. “However, when combined in a tank mix with KQ-XRN or KS2075, the new dicamba formulations hold even tighter. The crop is also being provided with vital nutrients at critical growth stages while you address threats to your crop.”
KQ-XRN is a proprietary nitrogen (28-0-0) formulation with 72 percent slow-release nitrogen. KS2075 provides a balance of quick-release nitrogen for initial green-up and 50 percent slow-release nitrogen for continuous steady feeding, along with potassium and sulfur.
“Volatility occurs when a herbicide converts to a gas,” Kugler says. “When this happens, the herbicide can move from the application site to adjacent fields, where it can cause damage, particularly to non-tolerant cotton and soybeans. In contrast, KQ-XRN adheres to the plant leaves for up to 35 days, holding most of the tank-mixed herbicide with it, preventing it from turning into a gas.
“So we like to think of it as killing two birds with one stone,” Kugler continues. “A tank mix of Engenia or XtendiMax with one of our two Kugler products approved by the EPA as a tank mix partner not only helps reduce the chance of dicamba drift, but provides the plant with high-quality nitrogen that stays on the job long after the initial application.”