If you’re serious about growing wheat and other cereals but worried about weed threats, the future just got brighter. U.S. EPA recently registered Tolvera herbicide for broadleaf and grass control in many cereal crops, including spring and winter wheat, durum wheat, and barley. Corteva Agriscience, which will make and market Tolvera, expects the herbicide to be available for use in 2025.

Drew Clark, Corteva cereal herbicide product manager, underscores several reasons why this is good news for cereal crop growers:

New active ingredient. Tolvera features tolpyralate, a new active ingredient for weed control in cereals. It is already used as an ingredient in certain corn herbicides.

Weed resistance tool. Adding another active ingredient in cereals within the HPPD inhibitors Group 27 will help combat resistance concerns among key weeds like kochia, waterhemp, and green and yellow foxtail.

Rotation flexibility. Plantback restrictions for Tolvera will be within nine months for most major crops, which is much shorter than for some other cereal herbicides. This increases rotation flexibility, opening the door for rotations with field peas, lentils, canola, chickpeas, soybeans and sunflowers.

Safety and versatility. Tolvera’s active ingredients, tolpyralate and bromoxynil, have a good track record for crop safety, and this formulation will tank-mix with many other products, Clark says. Consult the product label for specific recommendations on mixing and handling.

Wide application window. Tolvera can be applied to cereals anytime from first leaf to the jointing stage.

What’s next for Tolvera

The next step is to request and receive state labels for Tolvera now that federal registration is granted, Clark explains. Corteva will concentrate on labeling Tolvera for use in Oregan, Washington and Idaho, followed by North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. As labels fall in place, the company will seek registration in other wheat-growing regions, including Kansas.

“This will be a premium option compared with other herbicides and may not fit the budget as well in parts of the country like the Plains,” Clark says. “As people see its value, we will make it available in more regions.

“It will be another tool for growers to use, especially where resistance in kochia, waterhemp and other weeds are becoming a bigger issue. The fact that growers can come back with some key crops in nine months — not 15 months, as with some other products — will be a big plus in areas where these specialty crops are important.”

If there is a key to achieving maximum performance from Tolvera, Clark says it will be applying the herbicide on weeds while they are still relatively small. That’s a similar refrain heard in corn and soybean country with many herbicides.

“We recommend applying it on weeds that are 4 inches tall or smaller,” Clark says. “When applied according to the label on the right size weeds, it performs very well.”

For more details, visit corteva.us/tolvera.