Aaron Hummel, a research scientist with plant breeding company KWS Saat, discusses the development of a new sugar beet variety that will be resistant to three different herbicides, during a sugar beet conference in Boise Dec. 9.

BOISE — Two global plant breeding and seed companies are jointly developing a new sugar beet variety designed to help growers better control weeds.

The genetically engineered sugar beet will be the next generation of weed control technology in sugar beets and it will be tolerant to three different herbicides: glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba.

“We’re very excited about it. We think it’s going to increase grower productivity,” KWS Saat Research scientist Aaron Hummel told growers Dec. 9 during the Snake River Sugar Beet Conference.

Virtually all of the sugar beets grown on 180,000 acres in this region have been genetically engineered by Monsanto Co. to resist its popular Roundup herbicide.

Snake River Sugar Co., a cooperative of farmers that supplies sugar beets to Amalgamated Sugar Co., estimates the adoption of sugar beets is saving Idaho and Eastern Oregon growers an estimated $22 million a year.

“We believe the (new) trait will help you continue that trend,” Hummel said. “We believe (this variety) will provide growers with great options for weed control.”

KWS, a plant breeding company headquartered in Germany, signed a commercial agreement with U.S.-based Monsanto this year to develop the new sugar beet variety. Trials and development will occur over the next three years and the new variety is expected to hit the market in eight to 10 years.

Monsanto and KWS also partnered in developing Roundup Ready sugar beets.

The combination of the three traits stacked into one variety should prevent the proliferation of herbicide-resistant weeds because any weed resistant to any of the three modes of action would be killed by the others, Hummel said.

“If (a weed) is resistant to one chemical, then the next one will probably knock it out,” said Idaho sugar beet farmer Galen Lee. “I’m very excited about it.”

University of Idaho and Oregon State University weed scientists last year discovered the presence of some kochia weeds in this area that are resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.

Hummel said the new product will not be a silver bullet for weed control but should be integrated into a comprehensive management program.

It’s not a single solution, he said, “but it’s a very good solution that will help you have more options to manage glyphosate resistance in weeds.”

UI weed scientist Don Morishita said he believes the idea of the new sugar beet variety with three traits is a good one.

But, he added, some kochia weeds are resistant to dicamba and glufosinate, which works great in the Midwest, doesn’t work as well in the dry, low-humidity environments in this region.

“I think this idea of stacking traits is a reasonable one but I’m not entirely sold that (dicamba and glufosinate) are the best two traits to stack into sugar beets grown in Idaho and Oregon,” he said.

“Going by experience, weeds always find a way of developing resistance,” said OSU weed scientist Joel Felix. But, he added, “It’s nice to see new products, in this case a hybrid that would be able to withstand three modes of action.”