Reading Time: 2 minutes I have been asked whether it is true that some weeds can increase the prevalence of certain diseases. Yes, it is true, which is why it can be especially important to control these species. Henbit, purple deadnettle and stinkweed (field pennycress) are alternate hosts for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and should be controlled. A study […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Do weeds support growth of disease?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Top 10 weed management practices
Herbicide resistant weeds are no longer a novelty, they’re the norm
Hugh Beckie, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said it’s a challenge to get farmers to implement herbicide-resistance best management practices (BMP) because growers are diverse, and one size doesn’t fit all. But Beckie has found that growers who use BMPs tend to have less herbicide resistance. So, in the spirit of David[...]
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Pest Patrol: If you see the leaves of these plants this spring, let them be
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Grain farmers don’t often concern themselves with plants that are poisonous to the touch since such plants are rarely found competing with corn, soybean or cereals. But during field work, maybe you need to take a “bathroom break” and since the corn is yet to be knee-high you seek privacy at the field edges or[...]
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Pest Patrol: Any updates on vetch control in soybeans?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a 2014 column, I expressed my optimism for a herbicide treatment to control vetch (Viccia cracca) before planting soybeans. I wrote, “2,4-D Ester 700 applied seven days prior to soybean planting looks like a promising tool for the control of vetch in soybeans provided vetch has emerged at the time of application. More trial[...]
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Waterhemp knocking at Canada’s door
This cousin of the feared Palmer amaranth has reached the Canadian border, and could soon begin marching across the West
Reading Time: 4 minutes A new alien is lurking in the fields of North Dakota and Minnesota, preparing to invade Canada and cause no end of trouble. The potential enemy is a noxious weed called waterhemp, a member of the pigweed family and a cousin of Palmer amaranth, a glyphosate-resistant weed currently plaguing cotton and soybean growers in the[...]
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Pest Patrol: A survey of weeds in corn, soybeans and winter wheat across six southwestern Ontario counties
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes The last survey of weeds populating fields in Ontario was conducted in 1988. Therefore, I felt it was time to do another survey and compare the weed species populating corn, soybeans and winter wheat found in 1988 versus 2014 (see tables further down). In general, the abundant species identified in 1988 were also abundant in[...]
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Pest Patrol: How do I control tansy ragwort in my pasture?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes By Kate Ayers University of Guelph, Ontario Agriculture College Tansy ragwort is a noxious weed most often found in pastures and hayfields. It is a biennial or short-lived perennial that reproduces through seeds and roots. Tansy is poisonous to livestock and can cause liver damage. Symptoms that may occur after plant consumption include: weakness, high[...]
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PHOTOS: Pest Patrol: What is the best way to get rid of common burdock?
Seeds may be viable for up to three years so manage accordingly
Reading Time: 2 minutes Knowing how this plant reproduces will influence how you manage it. Burdock is biennial and reproduces only by seed. Following seed germination in the spring, burdock will grow into a large leafy rosette plant with a large taproot that allows it to overwinter. In the second year, burdock will flower and produce the burrs we[...]
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Pest Patrol: Using the ‘Pest Manager’ app
Weeds and weed management information in the palm of your hand
Reading Time: 2 minutes We have good pest management information and research. The challenge can be to get that information to the farmers who need it. Earlier this summer, a smartphone app was launched called Pest Manager. Currently, only information on weeds and weed management is included, so I tell farmers it’s what you would get if a weed[...]
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Herbicide resistance, selection pressure, reducing options for weed control
Pay close attention to weeds that survive herbicide applications, says one U.S. farmer
Reading Time: 5 minutes Arkansas has been ground zero for herbicide-resistant weeds. For instance, the state is second only to Australia in the amount of herbicide-resistant ryegrass in wheat. “We’re actually running out of herbicides, making it difficult for us to even grow wheat in Arkansas, because of the levels of resistance that we have,” said Dr. Bob Scott.[...]
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A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
