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Farmers must make plans to control pigweed this season.

February 10, 2014

2 Min Read

It wasn't too far of a reach for University of Missouri weed scientist Kevin Bradley to suggest farmers and consultants consider old-school remedies for dealing with Palmer pigweed during the MU Crop Conference. The pesky weed has made it to the top of the state's list on most difficult to control weeds.

Bradley's old-school remedies resemble farm workers armed with pitchforks and hoes chopping down weeds. Because the trick in keeping palmer pigweed from multiplying in your fields is not letting it get to seed.

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Palmer pigweed seed doesn't survive for decades in the soil bank, as some do. When buried deep, the seeds don't come up. Bradley only suggests plowing deep to bury seed on level, non-erodible fields.

The seedlings are susceptible to herbicides, but they must be sprayed early. If spayed late, the weeds escape death.

"It's a serious weed threat and takes serious management," Bradley says. "But it can be controlled with extra work and expense."

Early control pays
Controlling early before seed-set pays off. First priority is to prevent seed production and building a seed bank.

Narrower soybean row-width helps control pigweeds. Drilled beans have fewer pigweeds as shade covers the ground earlier. More weeds are found in 30-inch rows.

Increasing seed planting rates boosts odds in favor of the soybean over pigweed seedlings.

Herbicides give control, but lax management won't work with the rapidly growing Palmer pigweeds. The seedlings quickly accumulate growth, requiring more herbicide. Palmer produces up to 65 percent more dry matter after two weeks than other weed species.

With more foliage, it's hard to get enough ingredient on the plants.

More than one herbicide mode of action is a must. For that, Bradley recommends "overlapping residuals." That leaves less time for the continuation germination of the Palmer pigweed.

Using just one mode leads to resistance. "I visualize how Palmer pigweeds became resistant to glyphosate," Bradley says. "Someone used only that herbicide season after season."

Liberty herbicide mode of action still works, he says. "But with abuse, we lose it." He says Liberty must be used with a pre-emergent residual herbicide. And the Liberty application must be timely at early seedling stage.

Palmer pigweed looks much like other pigweeds, except the stems and leaves are smooth. Flowering heads are elongated and the plants are taller.

Bradley maintains a website for weed identification.

Source: University of Missouri Extension

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