February 2, 2005
Weed guide puts farmers in control of noxious plants
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Crop production is a balancing act between nurturing some plants and suppressing others. Specialists at Purdue and Ohio State universities have teamed up to help farmers deal with those plants in the latter category.
The 2005 Weed Control Guide for Ohio and Indiana is a comprehensive reference for producers who grow row crops and forages, said Bill Johnson, Purdue Extension weed specialist and one of the publication's contributing writers. Purdue and Ohio State published a similar guide in 2004.
"The 2005 guide contains over 170 pages of information on weed management in corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, alfalfa, grass pastures and rangeland," Johnson said.
Within its pages the guide lists common weeds found in Indiana and Ohio and herbicides labeled for use on those weeds. The guide features numerous tables and sections that farmers should find beneficial, Johnson said.
"The guide is updated on an annual basis, so as new herbicides become available they are added to the book," he said.
"One of the things many people find most useful about this guide is that for each of the different crops we have what we call 'weed response tables,' where we compare the effectiveness of various herbicide products on a number of different weed species."
Two other sections sure to generate interest are chapters devoted to problem weeds and herbicides with the active ingredient (AI) glyphosate.
"In the back of the book we have a troublesome weeds section," Johnson said. "In this section we briefly discuss the biology and management options for specific weeds like burcucumber, water hemp and glyphosate-resistant marestail. That's always a popular section in the guide. The troublesome weeds section covers about 15 different weeds found in Ohio and Indiana.
"The other thing producers might find useful is a large table that lists the various glyphosate products available for use in Roundup Ready soybeans and corn. It gives the amount of AI per gallon of product and also lists whether the product requires additional adjuvants."
In all, 23 tables appear in the guide. Among the others are tables on:
• Application intervals for early preplant herbicides.
• Grazing and forage intervals for herbicide-treated corn.
• Rainfast intervals and spray additive recommendations for corn herbicides.
• ALS (aceto-lactase synthase) herbicide and organophosphate insecticide use precautions.
• Harvest and feeding intervals for postemergence soybean herbicides.
• Restrictions on crop rotation.
Along with Johnson, contributing writers included Purdue weed specialists Tom Bauman and Glenn Nice, and Ohio State weed specialists Mark Loux and Jeff Stachler.
The guide - Ohio State Bulletin 789, Publication No. WS16 - can be downloaded online. A printed version of the guide is available for $6.50 by calling (614) 292-1607.
Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu
Source: Bill Johnson, (765) 494-4656, wgjohnso@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page
Related Web site:
Purdue University Weed Science
To the News Service home page