Harrowing is often used to reduce weed competition, generally using a constant intensity across a whole field. The efficacy of weed harrowing in wheat and barley can be optimized, if site-specific conditions of soil, weed infestation and crop growth stage are taken into account. This study aimed to develop and test an algorithm to automatically adjust the harrowing intensity by varying the tine...

In order to evaluate the impact of crop residues (zero, 25 and 50%) and nitrogen (zero, 125 and 250 kg ha) on weed seed bank and potato yield, two-years research was conducted as a split plot arranged in randomized complete block design in Rozveh Agriculture Research Station, Freidan-Esfahan. Numbers of weed species in seed bank, aboveground, and both seed bank and aboveground were 1, 2 and...

The rapid evolution of herbicide resistance poses a significant threat for conventional agricultural practices. In practice, herbicide resistance seems to be a very complicated problem to deal with. Extension can play a significant role in managing herbicide resistance educating farmers on the main advantages and disadvantages of the available methods aiming to control and minimize herbicide re...

Most producers use herbicides to manage weed infestations. Generally, herbicides are applied at a uniform rate to the entire field. However, a uniform application may not be appropriate for all areas of a field. As precision agriculture technologies have developed, site-specific management of most agricultural inputs, including herbicides, has become feasible. Differentiated application of herb...

Weed scientists generally have done an excellent job of documenting herbicideresistant weeds. Over 400 unique cases of herbicide resistance, involving over 200 weed species in 65 countries, have been reported (Heap 2014). Oftentimes, evolved resistance in weeds is due to a mutation in a gene encoding the herbicide target site, and weed scientists also have done a good job of identifying these m...

Nearly all weed control methods influence both the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. These include the following: mechanical control techniques; cultural practices such as grazing, burning, flooding or revegetation, the introduction of biological weed control agents; and the use of chemicals. This paper reviews many of the risks of weed control and, in some cases, suggests prevent...

Belowground microorganisms are known to influence plants' performance by altering the soil environment. Plant pathogens such as cyanide-producing strains of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas may show strong host-plant selectivity. We analyzed interactions between different host plants and Pseudomonas strains and tested if these can be linked to the cyanide sensitivity of host plants, the cyanide p...

Herbicide safeners, formerly referred to as herbicide antidotes, are chemical agents that increase the tolerance of monocotyledonous cereal plants to herbicides without affecting the weed control effectiveness. The use of safeners offer several benefits to agricultural weed control. Safeners may allow: (1) the selective chemical control of weeds in botanically related crops; (2) the use of nons...

Blubaugh, Carmen K. Ph.D., Purdue University, May 2015. Undercover Predators: Vegetation Mediates Foraging, Trophic Cascades, and Biological Control by Omnivorous Weed Seed Predators. Major Professor: Ian Kaplan. Weed pressure is the most costly challenge that vegetable growers face, requiring more labor investment than other production inputs. Vertebrate and invertebrate seed predators destroy...