How you can cope with weeds

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It seems that each year present challenges that we could live without in a perfect farming world. This year again has presented many challenges just to get the crop planted and off to a good start.

When a year for planting gets late I can usually find a certain number of fields around the county that did not get the appropriate weed control applied before getting the crop planted.

Not getting a proper burn down herbicide program applied prior to planting can leave a field in a “point of no return” for excellent weed control.

This is usually due to weeds getting too large for good control, not having adequate control options available for resistant weeds once the crop is planted or not able to get sprayed before the crop gets too big to get application equipment through without damaging some of the crop.

In recent years we have basically identified now four problem weeds. Two have seemed to stand the test of time no matter what we have tried to control them and two are newer to our area and pose a huge threat to future crop years if not held in check.

The two weeds that have stood the test of time are giant rag weed and marestail. More and more we find these weeds have become resistant to many of the available herbicides available. These weeds need to be controlled in a timely manner and when weather doesn’t give us much time they can become a bigger problem later in the season.

The two newer weeds that are of concern are water hemp and palmer amaranth. In a matter of a couple years if not controlled properly these two weeds can literally take over a field.

For these weeds there are few herbicide options. Fortunately, some new technology is available to help battle these weeds that are resistant to many other herbicides.

Weed control is an essential part of all crop production systems. We know weeds reduce yields by competing for water, nutrients, and sunlight. They can also reduce profits through hindering harvest operations, lower crop quality, and potentially create other issues.

Producers need to identify specific weed problems and determine what level of control is needed that maximizes profit not just control weeds.

As weeds such as marestail become more of a problem for corn and soybean growers, scientists in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University are putting more resources into the research of new herbicides and herbicide resistant weeds and crops.

On July 12, OSU weed specialists will display some of that research during a field day for agricultural industry representatives and corn and soybean growers interested in learning about weed control in Ohio corn and soybean fields.

The 9 a.m. to noon event will focus on marestail control and new herbicide trait technology, which is how new herbicides are created to fight the weeds that have developed a resistance to certain herbicides.

Additionally, studies will be discussed in which various corn and soybean herbicides are used on fields with no-till and conventional tillage, said Mark Loux, an Ohio State University Extension weed specialist, who is organizing the event.

Marestail is a competitive and rapid growing weed that emerges primarily from late March through June and from late summer into fall, Loux said. The plant also has the ability to become herbicide resistant, making research on new herbicide trait technology extremely important.

The field day will be held at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s (OARDC) Western Agricultural Research Station, 7721 S. Charleston Pike in South Charleston. Researchers there have conducted extensive research on weeds that have become herbicide resistant.

The Center also does research on integrating crops that are tolerant to specific herbicides and evaluates new herbicide technology.

Different varieties of corn and soybeans are evaluated at the South Charleston research station for their yield, disease resistance under various crop rotation and tillage methods. These plots will all be included in the tour.

Attendees can expect to see a lot of different corn and soybean herbicide treatments and OSU weed science specialists will be available to answer questions.

Registration is $35 and can be done by contacting Bruce Ackley, an OSU Extension program specialist in weed science, at [email protected]. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.

Field day participants can take a self-guided tour of the research center and those that register for the field day by July 5 will also have lunch and a plot book included in their registration fee.

The plot book contains the information for each study including treatments, planting dates, herbicide application parameters and dates, and weed size.

Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for 29 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.

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Tony Nye

OSU Extension

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