Comparison of Libertylink® and Roundup Ready® Soybean Systems.

With the introduction of Roundup Ready® soybean in 1996, producers were provided with one of the most valuable technologies for weed control in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.  This technology was rapidly and widely accepted across North America.  However, the sole use of this technology magnified the selection pressure for biotypes of glyphosate-resistant weed species.  To date, there are 12 weed species in the United States that are resistant to glyphosate, six of which occur in Arkansas.  The rapid adoption of the Roundup Ready® technology also resulted in some inferior varieties of soybean being planted resulting in lower than normal yields.  LibertyLink® soybean varieties were introduced in 2009, which provided producers a new, but similar technology for weed control.  Studies were conducted from 2009 to 2011in Arkansas to compare yields of these two technologies and determine if there was an associated “yield lag” with LibertyLink® technology.