The Hidden Cost of Herbicide Stress
When it comes to maximizing yield potential in your crop, herbicide programs are a crucial piece of the puzzle. But like any crop input, herbicides can introduce unintended stress.
Stress from herbicide applications can reduce yield potential by up to 50%[1]. That’s why recognizing the signs and knowing how to help crops recover quickly is essential for protecting plant health and preserving yield.
Herbicide Stress: More Common Than You Think
Even when applied correctly, herbicides can stress plants — especially in challenging conditions like cool soils, heavy rainfall, or tank contamination. That stress can compound quickly.
For example, in corn and soybeans, even low levels of carryover from previous applications (especially growth regulators, ALS inhibitors, or PPO inhibitors) can:
- Distort emerging leaves
- Cause chlorosis or bleaching
- Slow early growth and root development
- Mimic nutrient deficiencies or disease symptoms
In early vegetative stages, crops are highly vulnerable to stress. A delay in early vigor, rooting, or canopy development — even if only temporary — can lead to yield penalties that aren’t obvious until harvest.
The Cost of Ignoring Herbicide Stress
Herbicide stress isn’t always dramatic, which is exactly what makes it dangerous. It often goes unnoticed or unaddressed, allowing the damage to silently chip away at a crop’s potential.
When herbicide stress is left untreated:
- Photosynthesis is reduced, slowing sugar production and weakening plant function.
- Root systems remain stunted, limiting access to water and nutrients.
- Development is delayed, creating uneven emergence and maturity.
- Yield potential is lost, even if visual symptoms fade.
Stress may pass, but its effects linger. And once the window for optimal vegetative growth closes, there’s no getting it back. That’s why response time is critical — and recovery should be proactive, not reactive.
Don’t Confuse Herbicide Stress with Deficiency or Disease
One of the more challenging aspects of herbicide stress is how it mimics nutrient issues or early-season pathogens. Twisted leaves may look like zinc deficiency. Bleached tissues may be mistaken for sudden wilt. This leads to misdiagnosis and, worse, mismanagement.
The right diagnosis at the right time is key to recovery. But recovery itself depends on how fast a plant can rebound from oxidative stress, reestablish root function, and restart proper growth processes.
That’s where a biological edge comes in.
Bottom Line: Stress Recovery Is Yield Recovery
Relax RX fast-tracks plants getting back to growing after a stress event, like a herbicide pass. Whether from herbicide stress, extreme heat/drought, water stress, or other forms of environmental threats, Relax RX works inside the plant to calm oxidative reactions, promote new leaf growth, and restore vitality. The unique blend of ingredients helps crops metabolize chemicals — and get back to growing — faster.
When applied post-herbicide or as part of a proactive stress recovery plan, Relax RX gives corn and soybeans a noticeable boost in color, leaf turgor, and root activity — getting them back on track when it matters most. Herbicide stress happens. The key isn’t just managing for it — it’s helping your crop recover from it.
With Relax RX, growers have a tool that supports your crop’s natural recovery systems, minimizes yield drag, and protects the ROI of your herbicide program. So, make that herbicide pass. And don’t think twice about it. Because Relax RX means your crops bounce back strong. And while it’s tough on herbicide stress, it’s easy on your wallet.
[1]He, Mei, et al. “Abiotic Stresses: General Defenses of Land Plants and Chances for Engineering Multistress Tolerance.” Frontiers, 14 Nov. 2018, www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01771/full.