May 26, 1999

Maverick herbicide from Monsanto is ready to be sold and used in the United States. The herbicide selectively controls cheatgrass, downy brome and many winter annual broadleaf weeds and was developed primarily for use in winter wheat.

Cheatgrass is a major weed in Oklahoma, and downy brome is a major weed in winter wheat regions. Neither has been adequately controlled with available chemical and cultural control practices and are reaching an unprecedented level of severity in several regions, says Monsanto.

"Maverick is the first herbicide to provide excellent crop safety and consistent performance on brome species. It's a step-change in technology that provides growers with the potential for higher wheat yield and a reduction in dockage," says Carl Casale, managing director of the U.S. agricultural sector at Monsanto. "In addition, reducing the competition from brome enables growers to move to more effective and environmentally favorable tillage or direct seeding practices which can reduce soil erosion from wind and water and improve growers' overall productivity."