Computer program puts byte on farmers' weed problems

WeedSOFT provides producers with tools to identify weeds, select herbicides and set up a customized treatment plan. The software program's 2006 version offers a handful of new features, including weed management for hay crops.

First-time users can purchase the software for $50, and annual updates are $40.

"WeedSOFT is a computerized weed management decision aid for corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, grass pastures and forages," said Bill Johnson, Purdue Extension weed scientist. "In the past, most people have used printed guides that are produced by industry or universities to help them make decisions on which herbicide products to use and how to use them. What we've attempted to do with WeedSOFT is to take all of that information and put it into a computerized program."

The software also goes a step beyond weed control books, Johnson said.

"This program has the ability to predict yield loss based on various weed infestations, which is a feature that we simply don't have in the printed guides," he said.

WeedSOFT is a collaborative effort of nine land-grant universities. In addition to Purdue, other participants include the universities of Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin; and Kansas State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State universities.

The original WeedSOFT was introduced in Nebraska in 1992.

Indiana farmers installing the WeedSOFT program onto their computers will find four weed management modules. Among them:

• ADVISOR — A program that analyzes crop growth and weed density, and prescribes a herbicide treatment plan.

• WeedVIEW — A weed identification database. WeedVIEW lists more than 60 weeds with photos and line drawings.

• EnviroFX — Alerts the user on which herbicides could reach ground or surface water based on a farmer's product choices.

• WeedMAPPER — Determines if weeds are spreading in a field. The module can be downloaded into a farmer's personal digital assistant (PDA) and taken into the field for on-site analysis.

"New features to the software include an upgrade to ADVISOR that allows you to pick three herbicide programs on your computer screen and compare them side-by-side for their efficacy and cost," Johnson said. "We also have added a fallow or winter wheat stubble module to ADVISOR, which gives you herbicide recommendations for keeping weeds under control in those situations.

"In addition, we've added pasture and range sections to ADVISOR. And WeedMAPPER can now use COQQ or FSA aerial imagery for field maps, and you can use these in WeedMAPPER to find your field and draw your field boundaries."

To order or learn more about WeedSOFT, visit the WeedSOFT Web site. The site contains a printable order form. Hoosier farmers should make sure to check the Indiana box under "Select a state version."

Mail orders should be sent to WeedSOFT, P.O. Box 830915, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915.

Orders also can be placed online at the WeedSOFT Web site.

Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Bill Johnson, (765) 494-4656, wgj@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web sites:
Purdue Weed Science

Purdue Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

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