All farmers hate weeds. Especially weeds that are hard to kill. Weeds are yield-robbing nuisances that compete for valuable space in and out of the seed row. Some weeds are fairly easy to deal with and only create limited stress. But then there are those that seem to create havoc every year because they are so… Read more »
Category: Herbicide Resistant Weeds
Herbicide Resistance: The Cost of Convenience
“If it doesn’t impact me, I don’t care…” I have attended many conferences across Canada and nothing gets farmers to fall asleep faster than speeches of the threat (actually, it’s reality) of herbicide resistance. For many farmers, it seems, they either don’t see this as something that impacts them or they don’t think it’s as serious an… Read more »
The Role of Soil-Applied Herbicides in Combating Resistance
This year, the organizers of the Crop Diagnostic School in Carman, Manitoba, decided to do something a little old-school. “We decided to demo soil-applied herbicides here at the farm this year for the Diagnostic School, in part because we’re seeing an increased use in the products,” Jeanette Gaultier explains in the following interview. Gaultier (who may or… Read more »
Soybean School: Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds on the Rise
If you’ve noticed more than a few fleabane “escapes” in recent years, you’re not alone. Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane has spread across more than 700 kilometers of Ontario crop land in just five years. Despite its incredible distribution, Canada fleabane wasn’t the first glyphosate resistant weed found in Ontario, says Dr. Peter Sikkema, field crop… Read more »
Scientists Have Finally Agreed on a Definition for Superweeds. So What?
If you look up the term “superweed,” you’ll likely find a definition that includes “herbicide-resistance” and “accidental crossing” of genetically engineered plants and their “wild” counterparts. But, that could be changing, thanks in part to the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). “Since superweed is now clearly part of the public vernacular, we decided to… Read more »
Ontario in Mid-April: Red-Tipped Wheat, the End of Maple Syrup Season, and Attacking Early flowering weeds
The pictures are rolling in and it appears that the wheat that did get in the ground last fall (or was it winter?) did actually make it. Maple syrup season has wrapped up, to mixed reviews on volume (but you can bet it still tastes great), but that also means it’s warming up — and a… Read more »
When Weeds Won’t Die — Ep. 4: How Well Do you Know Your Weeds?
How good is your weed identification? If you had to answer if a weed was a “late flushing” weed or a winter annual, could you answer? While no weed specialist expects every farmer to be a weed expert, knowing a few specific details about your enemy is actually quite helpful in the war on resistance…. Read more »
When Weeds Won’t Die — Ep. 3: Confirming Suspicions & Taking the Next Steps Towards Management
From seeding rates, to seeding date, crop rotation and more, managing herbicide resistant weeds is about so much more than just what you decide to spray your fields with. That’s because each decision that impacts weed pressure, also impacts weed control, and every time you go over your crops with a herbicide, you’re putting selection… Read more »
Wheat School – Spotting Herbicide Resistant Wild Oats
Herbicide resistant wild oats are pretty easy to identify, says Neil Harker, a research scientist in weed ecology and crop management at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lacombe Research Centre. “You generally see them in patches. If you see [wild oats] in real straight lines, then you suspect a sprayer error, but if you just see them in… Read more »
For Effective and Sustainable Weed Control, Use the Big Sledgehammer Less Often
Why do we speed when we know it’s wrong? Why do we text while driving? Why smoke, when we know it’s bad? Why continue overusing traditional chemistry herbicide applications when we know they’re causing problems? That’s what Canadian weed scientists want to know. They’re getting frustrated with what seems to be farmers’ general unwillingness to… Read more »
New Xtend Trait Allows for Residual Weed Control for Soybeans
There are at least two reasons why having an added herbicide tolerance gene built-in to a soybean variety makes sense — one, to make up for early season non-competitiveness of the crop, and, two, because of the increasing risk of glyphosate-tolerant weeds. To that end, Monsanto recently rolled out its soybean XTend trait — dicamba… Read more »
Pulse School: The Rotary Hoe as a Weed Management Tool
It’s been over one hundred years since the powered rotary hoe was invented, and we may not be done with it quite yet. Research by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is being conducted around using the rotary hoe as a weed management tool in pulses, inspired in combination by previous work in the organic sector and the… Read more »
Momentum Tour – Brandon Wrap Up – Fast Cars, Ag-Teases and Cornification
You probably noticed myself and Lyndsey tweeting rapidly last week using the hasgtag, #momentumtour. We joined the Monsanto Momentum Tour on the Brandon stop and had a great time. Monsanto is touring across the prairie provinces to show growers the latest in its two trait releases. Here is our wrapup from Brandon, and as usual… Read more »
‘Pigweed on steroids’ heading north to Ontario
Palmer amaranth could be the next glyphosate resistance weed problem for Ontario farmers. University of Arkansas weed scientist Jason Norsworthy calls it “pigweed on steroids.” Norsworthy, who first saw glyphosate-resistant palmer amaranth in Arkansas in 2006, says the weed can grow two to three inches a day after it reaches four inches tall. “You can… Read more »
Canola School: The Canola Yield Penalty of Early-Emerged Weeds
Few crops are hyper-competitive right off the start. A cool spring can also mean that the crop you want to take off doesn’t, and the weeds get a head start. This is especially true of winter annuals which begin growing as soon as the snow recedes, but also applies to spring germinating weeds as well…. Read more »