Two weeds to watch in pastures, hayfields in 2024
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley lists two weeds to watch in 2024. Knotroot foxtail, like yellow foxtail, has a short, hair-like ligule and a typical foxtail-like seedhead. Unlike yellow foxtail, however, this species has short, knotty rhizomes. The invasive perennial is also known as bristle grass.
MU climatologist talks about drought impact on 2024 crops
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 6-7, will offer insight into how the 2023 drought will affect crops in the year ahead.MU Extension state climatologist Zack Leasor will give an update on weather and climate conditions that led to the onset and persistence of the 2023 drought across Missouri.
MU Graves-Chapple field day is Aug. 22
FAIRFAX, Mo. – The Graves-Chapple Extension and Education Center Field Day, Tuesday, Aug. 22, will include a ribbon-cutting for the new facility at the center in northwestern Missouri.
Free plant diagnostic testing available at MU field day
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Those attending the annual Mizzou Pest Management Field Day can bring plants for free testing and identification of disease and insects. The field day is Thursday, July 6, at the University of Missouri’s Bradford Research Farm, 8 miles east of Columbia. MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic representatives will accept samples for diagnosis and return them in 3-5 business days.
MU Pest Management Field Day is July 6
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers can learn the latest on using drones to spray weeds and spread seed at the annual Mizzou Pest Management Field Day on Thursday, July 6, at the University of Missouri’s Bradford Research Farm near Columbia.This year’s event includes technology and research updates that will interest those in agriculture, says MU weed scientist Kevin Bradley.
MU Weed Science confirms HPPD-resistant waterhemp
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There is still time to manage resistance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides in corn this year, but the window is shortening, according to University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.
Weeds adapt to fight back against herbicides
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Weeds today aren’t like “what Mom used to make,” says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.
New regulations make weed management more complex in 2023
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Producers should prepare for more complexity in herbicide requirements and registrations in 2023 and beyond, says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed changes to atrazine labels that would have great impact, says Bradley. Atrazine is an effective and inexpensive herbicide used to kill broadleaf and grassy weeds in the majority of Missouri corn and…
Glufosinate-resistant Palmer amaranth found in Missouri Bootheel
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension researchers have confirmed the first case of glufosinate-resistant Palmer amaranth in Missouri’s Bootheel region.Palmer amaranth has been MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley’s No. 1 weed to watch in the rest of the state for years.Palmer amaranth spreads and adapts quickly to herbicides. When it goes to seed, the weed is a superstar, producing as many as 1 million seeds per…
Benefit of killing annual weeds in winter wheat depends on weed, yield loss
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Killing common annual weeds in winter wheat may or may not be a good financial decision, especially when input costs are high, says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.Winter wheat is one of the most competitive crops planted, Bradley says.Bradley offers these guidelines based on research from MU and other reputable sources.Common chickweed
Plan to kill toxic perilla mint this spring or summer
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole said he received a report recently of cows in southwestern Missouri being killed by perilla mint, a toxic plant. Cole urges producers to plan to destroy the annual plant in pastures next spring or summer. Broadleaf pasture herbicides, applied April through June before seed set, provide control when applied at the correct rate, he says.
Cereal rye as a cover crop can reduce waterhemp
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Cereal rye as a cover crop may reduce waterhemp populations without yield loss in soybean, according to a three-year study at the University of Missouri.
Weed electrocution research sparks interest as herbicide resistance impedes current methods
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Move over, herbicides. There’s a new sheriff in town. And he’s toting some powerful guns loaded with electricity to kill weeds. This shocking new method of weed control was demonstrated at the 2021 Pest Management Field Day at the University of Missouri Bradford Research Center in Columbia.
Mizzou Weed Science shares Seed Terminator research
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In the 1984 film “The Terminator,” a robotic assassin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger warns, “I’ll be back.” If waterhemp could talk, it might say the same thing. Waterhemp can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. The prolific producer of seeds is the state’s No. 1 weed, robbing Missouri agriculture of millions of dollars each year.
MU research looks at technology to kill weeds
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If it’s a weed, spray it. That’s the mindset that most in the agriculture industry held for years.That thinking no longer works as more weeds become resistant to herbicides, says Kevin Bradley, University of Missouri Extension weed scientist.Bradley uses waterhemp as an example. Waterhemp is one of 14 herbicide-resistant weed species in Missouri. It is a prolific producer of seeds, and Bradley considers it Missouri’s…
Off-target movement of dicamba in Missouri: Where do we go from here?
The situation. In 2017, there have been numerous instances of off-target movement of dicamba throughout the state of Missouri and beyond. While the majority of the injury on a per land unit area has definitely occurred in the boot heel of Missouri, there are many problems with off-target movement of dicamba in the rest of the state.
Survey of Missouri Pesticide Applicator Practices, Knowledge, and Perceptions
The introduction of soybean and cotton traits with resistance to synthetic auxin herbicides has led to an increase in concern over the off-target movement of dicamba and 2,4-D. A direct-mail survey was sent to Missouri pesticide applicators in January of 2016 to understand current herbicide application practices and applicator knowledge and awareness of the new synthetic auxin technologies.
Weed management issues related to the flooding and wet conditions in Missouri
Obviously, our season so far has been one for the books. Our state climatologist Pat Guinan tells us that last month was the wettest May on record ever! We’ve been fielding a number of questions over the past several weeks related to the wet weather and how this affects our herbicides and weed management practices. In this article, we present a few brief thoughts that provide some answers to the most common questions we’ve been getting.
New tests by MU scientists will kill weed seeds before they become weeds
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Kill seeds before they become hard-to-kill weeds. That plan will be studied by Kevin Bradley with help from Missouri farmers.The University of Missouri Extension weed specialist plans research on crushing seeds before they hit the ground. That stops weeds competing with crops next season. Over time, that depletes soil seed banks.
Consider your neighbor this spray season
As we move into that part of the season where post-emergence herbicide applications are commonly made in soybean, it's important to remember the effects that off-target movement of herbicides can have on others around you. And this year, for the first time ever, we will be able to legally apply dicamba (in the form of Xtendimax, Engenia, or Fexapan) to Xtend-traited soybean.
Palmer amaranth is still on the move in Missouri
Palmer amaranth is a member of the pigweed family that is native to the southwest United States, but has slowly migrated into the Midwestern U.S. over the past decade or so. In the bootheel of Missouri, like western Tennessee, Arkansas, and a host of other southern states, Palmer amaranth has been the predominant pigweed species for several decades.
Cleanout and upkeep of the sprayer: Don't get complacent
The availability of dicamba-tolerant soybean this season increases the need for emphasis on proper maintenance and thorough cleanout of the sprayer system between applications; especially POST applications. The likely introduction of additional herbicide-tolerant traits in the future indicates that sprayer maintenance and cleanout will continue to be an essential focal point to avoid tank contamination and injury to subsequently…
Herbicide options for killing failed corn stands
I have already received a few calls about herbicide options for killing out poor stands of Roundup Ready and/or stacked Roundup Ready/Liberty Link corn, and I expect there will be more whenever things dry out. We conducted a few trials on this several years ago, and Dr. Larry Steckel has also published some data in the weed science literature from two years of research he conducted in Tennessee.
Ag industry, do we have a problem yet?
It's funny how we can be living through a situation or watch something unfold in front of our very eyes and one person can view it one way and another can see it totally different. If you think about it, this happens all the time at sporting events. Not too long ago I was watching a Cardinals game with some Cubs fans and all of a sudden they all started yelling that our player was out when I could clearly see that he was in fact, safe…
A final report on dicamba-injured soybean acres
Throughout the summer we have attempted to provide updates as to the extent of dicamba-injured soybean throughout the United States, either in the form of official dicamba-related cases that are currently under investigation by the state Departments of Agriculture, or as estimates of injured acreage from university extension weed scientists (see Ag Industry, Do we have a problem yet? and Update on Dicamba-related Injury Investigations…