scholarly journals Seed destruction of weeds in southern US crops using heat and narrow-windrow burning

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-596
Author(s):  
Jason K. Norsworthy ◽  
Jeremy K. Green ◽  
Tom Barber ◽  
Trent L. Roberts ◽  
Michael J. Walsh

AbstractNarrow-windrow burning has been a successful form of harvest weed seed control in Australian cropping systems, but little is known about the efficacy of narrow-windrow burning on weed seeds infesting U.S. cropping systems. An experiment was conducted using a high-fire kiln that exposed various grass and broadleaf weed seeds to temperatures of 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 C for 20, 40, 60, and 80 s to determine the temperature and time needed to kill weed seeds. Weeds evaluated included Italian ryegrass, barnyardgrass, johnsongrass, sicklepod, Palmer amaranth, prickly sida, velvetleaf, pitted morningglory, and hemp sesbania. Two field experiments were also conducted over consecutive growing seasons, with the first experiment aimed at determining the amount of heat produced during burning of narrow windrows of soybean harvest residues (chaff and straw) and the effect of this heat on weed seed mortality. The second field experiment aimed to determine the effect of wind speed on the duration and intensity of burning narrow windrows of soybean harvest residues. Following exposure to the highest temperature and longest duration in the kiln, only sicklepod showed any survival (<1% average); however, in most cases, the seeds were completely destroyed (ash). A heat index of only 22,600 was needed to kill all seeds of Palmer amaranth, barnyardgrass, and Italian ryegrass. In the field, all seeds of the evaluated weed species were completely destroyed by narrow-windrow burning of 1.08 to 1.95 kg m−2 of soybean residues. The burn duration of the soybean harvest residues declined as wind speed increased. Findings from the kiln and field experiments show that complete kill is likely for weed seeds concentrated into narrow windrows of burned soybean residues. Given the low cost of implementation of narrow-windrow burning and the seed kill efficacy on various weed species, this strategy may be an attractive option for destroying weed seed.

Weed Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 650-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Breanne D. Tidemann ◽  
Linda M. Hall ◽  
K. Neil Harker ◽  
Hugh J. Beckie

The Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD), a novel weed control technology, has been highly effective in Australian cropping systems. To investigate its applicability to conditions in western Canada, stationary threshing was conducted to determine the impact of weed species, seed size, seed number, chaff load, and chaff type on efficacy of seed destruction. Control varied depending on species, with a range of 97.7% to 99.8%. Sieve-sized volunteer canola seed had a linear relationship of increasing control with increasing 1,000-seed weight. However, with greater than 98% control across all tested seed weights, it is unlikely that seed size alone will significantly influence control. Consistently high levels of control were observed at all tested seed densities (10 seeds to 1 million seeds). The response of weed seed control to chaff load was quadratic, but a narrow range of consistently high control (>97%) was again observed. Chaff type had a significant effect on weed seed control (98% to 98.6%); however, seed control values in canola chaff were likely confounded by a background presence of volunteer canola. Overall, the five parameters studied statistically influence control of weed seeds with the HSD. However, small differences between treatments are unlikely to affect the biological impact of the machine, which provides high levels of control for those weed seeds that can be introduced into the harvester.


2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Hulting ◽  
Joseph T. Dauer ◽  
Barbara Hinds-Cook ◽  
Daniel Curtis ◽  
Rebecca M. Koepke-Hill ◽  
...  

Management of Italian ryegrass in cereal-based cropping systems continues to be a major production constraint in areas of the United States, including the soft white winter wheat producing regions of the Pacific Northwest. Pyroxasulfone is a soil-applied herbicide with the potential to control broadleaf and grass weed species, including grass weed biotypes resistant to group 1, 2, and 7 herbicides, in several crops for which registration has been completed or is pending, including wheat, corn, sunflower, dry bean, and soybean. Field experiments were conducted from 2006 through 2009 near Corvallis, OR, to evaluate the potential for Italian ryegrass control in winter wheat with applications of pyroxasulfone. Application rates of PRE treatments ranged from 0.05 to 0.15 kg ai ha−1. All treatments were compared to standard Italian ryegrass soil-applied herbicides used in winter wheat, including diuron, flufenacet, and flufenacet + metribuzin. Visual evaluations of Italian ryegrass and ivyleaf speedwell control and winter wheat injury were made at regular intervals following applications. Winter wheat yields were quantified at grain maturity. Ivyleaf speedwell control was variable, and Italian ryegrass control following pyroxasulfone applications ranged from 65 to 100% and was equal to control achieved with flufenacet and flufenacet + metribuzin treatments and greater than that achieved with diuron applications. Winter wheat injury from pyroxasulfone ranged from 0 to 8% and was most associated with the 0.15–kg ha−1application rate. However, this early-season injury did not negatively impact winter wheat yield. Pyroxasulfone applied at the application rates and timings in these studies resulted in high levels of activity on Italian ryegrass and excellent winter wheat safety. Based on the results, pyroxasulfone has the potential to be used as a soil-applied herbicide in winter wheat for Italian ryegrass management and its utility for management of other important grass and broadleaf weeds of cereal-based cropping systems should be evaluated.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Michael J. Walsh ◽  
Annie E. Rayner ◽  
Annie Rutledge ◽  
John C. Broster

Abstract Chaff lining and chaff tramlining are harvest weed seed control (HWSC) systems that involve the concentration of weed seed containing chaff material into narrow (20 to 30 cm) rows between or on the harvester wheel tracks during harvest. These lines of chaff are left intact in the fields through subsequent cropping seasons in the assumption that the chaff environment is unfavourable for weed seed survival. The chaff row environment effect on weed seed survival was examined in field studies, while chaff response studies determined the influence of increasing amounts of chaff on weed seedling emergence. The objectives of these studies were to determine 1) the influence of chaff lines on the summer-autumn seed survival of selected weed species; and 2) the influence of chaff type and amount on rigid ryegrass seedling emergence. There was frequently no difference (P>0.05) in survival of seed of four weed species (rigid ryegrass, wild oat, annual sowthistle and turnip weed) when these seed were placed beneath or beside chaff lines. There was one instance where wild oat seed survival was increased (P<0.05) when seed were placed beneath compared to beside a chaff line. The pot studies determined that increasing amounts of chaff consistently resulted in decreasing numbers of rigid ryegrass seedlings emerging through chaff material. The suppression of emergence broadly followed a linear relationship where there was approximately a 2.0% reduction in emergence with every 1.0 t ha-1 increase in chaff material. This relationship was consistent across wheat, barley, canola and lupin chaff types, indicating that the physical presence of the chaff was more important than chaff type. These studies indicated that chaff lines may not affect the over summer-autumn survival of the contained weed seeds but the subsequent emergence of weed seedlings will be restricted by high amounts of chaff (>40 t ha-1).


Weed Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
George O. Kegode ◽  
Frank Forcella ◽  
Sharon Clay

Approaches to crop production that successfully reduce weed seed production can benefit farming systems by reducing management inputs and costs. A 5-yr rotation study was conducted in order to determine the effects that interactions between crop rotation, tillage, and amount of herbicide and fertilizer (management inputs) have on annual grass and broad-leaved weed seed production and fecundity. There were 10 crop rotation and tillage system combinations and three levels of management inputs (high, medium, and low). Green and yellow foxtail were the major weed species, and together they yielded between 76 and 93% of collected weed seeds. From 1990 to 1994, average grass weed seed productions were 7.3 by 103, 3.7 by 1036.1 by 103and 5.7 by 103seeds m−-2, whereas average broad-leaved weed seed productions were 0.4 by 103, 0.4 by 103, 1.4 by 103, and 0.4 by 103seeds m−-2in crop rotations using conventional tillage (moldboard plow), conservation tillage, no tillage, and ridge tillage, respectively. Crop rotations using conventional or ridge tillage consistently produced more grass and broad-leaved weed seeds, especially in low-input plots. There was little difference in weed seed production among input levels for crop rotations using conservation tillage. Comparing rotations that began and ended with a corn crop revealed that by increasing crop diversity within a rotation while simultaneously reducing the amount of tillage, significantly fewer grass and broad-leaved weed seeds were produced. Among the rotations, grass and broad-leaved weed fecundity were highly variable, but fecundity declined from 1990 to 1994 within each rotation, with a concomitant increase in grass and broad-leaved weed density over the same period. Crop rotation in combination with reduced tillage is an effective way of limiting grass and broad-leaved weed seed production, regardless of the level of management input applied.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre M M C Loureiro ◽  
G Christopher Cutler ◽  
Vilis O Nams ◽  
Scott N White

Abstract Poecilus lucublandus (Say), Pterostichus mutus (Say), and Harpalus rufipes (De Geer) are abundant Carabidae in lowbush blueberry fields and may contribute to weed seed predation. We used laboratory no-choice test experiments to determine if these beetles feed on seeds of hair fescue (Festuca filiformis Pourr., Poales: Poaceae), poverty oatgrass (Danthonia spicata L.), and red sorrel (Rumex acetosella L., Caryophyllales: Polygonaceae), which are common weeds in lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait., Ericales: Ericaceae) fields. Poecilus lucublandus and P. mutus did not feed on seeds of the test weed species, but H. rufipes consumed on average over 30 seeds of each species. There are other weed seeds in blueberry fields that could be palatable to P. lucublandus and P. mutus, which warrants further research on the granivory potential of these important carabid species.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 574-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason K. Norsworthy ◽  
Kenneth L. Smith ◽  
Lawrence E. Steckel ◽  
Clifford H. Koger

Cotton gins in Arkansas, western Tennessee, and western Mississippi were sampled for weed seed contamination of gin trash in fall 2007. A total of 473 samples were collected, with 453 samples from Arkansas. The objectives of this research were to determine the weed species most frequently found in gin trash and determine what means gin operators are using to dispose of gin trash. There were 25 weed species found in the gin trash samples—11 grass and 14 broadleaf weeds. Grass and broadleaf weeds were present in 41.4 and 8.5% of the samples, respectively. The most frequently found species were large crabgrass (19.0%), barnyardgrass (14.0%), goosegrass (12.9%), red sprangletop (8.2%) and Palmer amaranth (4.2%). Viable seeds of barnyardgrass, large crabgrass, Palmer amaranth, and prickly sida were present in the surface layer (0- to 25-cm depth) of gin trash piles after 1 yr of composting. Viable Palmer amaranth seeds were present in the surface layer of gin trash piles after 2 yr of composting, but no germinable seeds were found deeper than 25 cm following 1 yr of composting. Gin trash disposal involved application of the material to crop fields during the fall or winter months; composting followed by application of the compost as mulch or a soil amendment to gardens, flower beds, or crop fields; use as cattle feed; and coverage for landfills to reduce erosion and encourage growth of vegetation. Because of the demonstrated potential for weed seed dispersal via gin trash, including composted material, development of technologies to ensure disposal of a gin-trash product free of viable weed seed are justified.


Weed Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Washington Bravo ◽  
Ramon G. Leon ◽  
Jason A. Ferrell ◽  
Michael J. Mulvaney ◽  
C. Wesley Wood

Palmer amaranth’s ability to evolve resistance to different herbicides has been studied extensively, but there is little information about how this weed species might be evolving other life-history traits that could potentially make it more aggressive and difficult to control. We characterized growth and morphological variation among 10 Palmer amaranth populations collected in Florida and Georgia from fields with different cropping histories, ranging from continuous short-statured crops (vegetables and peanut) to tall crops (corn and cotton) and from intensive herbicide use history to organic production. Palmer amaranth populations differed in multiple traits such as fresh and dry weight, days to flowering, plant height, and leaf and canopy shape. Differences between populations for these traits ranged from 36% up to 87%. Although glyphosate-resistant (GR) populations collected from cropping systems including GR crops exhibited higher values of the aforementioned variables than glyphosate-susceptible (GS) populations, variation in traits was not explained by glyphosate resistance or distance between populations. Cropping system components such as crop rotation and crop canopy structure better explained the differences among populations. The higher growth of GR populations compared with GS populations was likely the result of multiple selection forces present in the cropping systems in which they grow rather than a pleiotropic effect of the glyphosate resistance trait. Results suggest that Palmer amaranth can evolve life-history traits increasing its growth and reproduction potential in cropping systems, which explains its rapid spread throughout the United States. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to consider the evolutionary consequences of crop rotation structure and the use of more competitive crops, which might promote the selection of more aggressive biotypes in weed species with high genetic variability.


Weed Science ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Smith ◽  
Randa Jabbour ◽  
Andrew G. Hulting ◽  
Mary E. Barbercheck ◽  
David A. Mortensen

The transition period to certified organic production can present a significant weed management challenge for growers. Organic certification requires that prohibited fertilizers and pesticides must not have been used for 36 mo before harvest of the first organic crop. Understanding how organic management practices and initial weed seed-bank densities affect weed population dynamics during the transition period may improve weed management efficacy and adoption of organic practices. We examined how tillage systems (full or reduced) and cover crop species planted during the first transition year (rye or a mixture of timothy and red clover) affect the seedling densities of three common annual weed species, common lambsquarters, velvetleaf, and foxtail spp., during the 3-yr transition period. Weed seeds were applied in a one-time pulse at the beginning of the study at three densities, low, medium, and high (60, 460, and 2,100 seeds m−2, respectively), and cumulative seedling densities of each species were assessed annually. Treatment factors had variable and species-specific effects on weed seedling densities. In general, the full-tillage system, with an initial cover crop of timothy and red clover, resulted in the lowest density of weed seedlings following seed-bank augmentation. There was little consistent association between the initial densities of applied weed seeds in the weed seed bank at the start of the transition and weed seedling densities at the end of the transition period. This suggests that when multiple crop and weed cultural management practices are employed during the organic transition period, initial failures in weed management may not necessarily lead to persistent and intractable annual weed species management problems following organic certification.


Weed Science ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Mulugeta ◽  
David E. Stoltenberg

Field experiments were conducted in 1992 and 1993 to characterize the weed seed bank, to determine the influence of moldboard plowing and secondary soil disturbance on the emergence pattern of weeds, and to measure weed seed bank depletion by emergence in a long-term moldboard plow corn cropping system. Viable seeds of common lambsquarters, redroot pigweed, and each of 10 other species accounted for about 85, about 9, and less than 1%, respectively, of the total weed species in the seed bank. A negative binomial distribution described the spatial distribution of viable seeds of 10 species, but not of common lambsquarters or of redroot pigweed. Decreased density of seeds among species was associated with increased aggregation. Secondary soil disturbance increased the rate and magnitude of common lambs quarters emergence in 1992 but did not influence emergence in 1993. Secondary soil disturbance did not influence the magnitude and rate of emergence of redroot pigweed or velvetleaf. Whereas cumulative growing degree days from April through July were similar between years, the amount of rainfall was about 50% less in 1992 than in 1993. Secondary soil disturbance may have increased common lambsquarters emergence by increasing the availability of soil moisture and improving conditions for seed germination during the dry year. Even though seed bank depletion by seedling emergence was relatively low for all species, secondary soil disturbance in creased seed bank depletion of common lambsquarters and redroot pigweed about 7- and 3-fold, respectively, in 1992. Seasonal variation in the amount of rainfall may have influenced the effect of soil disturbance on emergence and seed bank depletion of common lambsquarters, which is the most abundant species in the weed community.


2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilpreet S. Riar ◽  
Jason K. Norsworthy ◽  
Lawrence E. Steckel ◽  
Daniel O. Stephenson ◽  
Thomas W. Eubank ◽  
...  

Soybean consultants from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee were surveyed by direct mail and by on-farm visits in fall 2011 to assess weed management practices and the prevalence of weed species in midsouth U.S. soybean. These consultants represented 15, 21, 5, and 10% of total soybean planted in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, respectively, in 2011. Collectively, 93% of the total scouted area in these four states was planted with glyphosate-resistant (RR) soybean. The adoption of glufosinate-resistant (LL) soybean was greatest in Arkansas (12%), followed by Tennessee (4%), Mississippi (2%), and Louisiana (< 1%). Only 17% of the RR soybean was treated solely with glyphosate, compared with 35% of LL soybean treated solely with glufosinate. Across four states, average cost of herbicides in RR and LL soybean systems was US$78 and US$91 ha−1, respectively. Collectively across states, total scouted area under conventional tillage was 42%, stale seedbed was 37%, and no-tillage was 21%. Palmer amaranth and morningglories were the most problematic weeds in all four states. Additionally, barnyardgrass and horseweed were the third most problematic weeds of Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively, and Italian ryegrass was the third most problematic weed in Louisiana and Mississippi. Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth infested fewer fields in Louisiana (16% of fields) than it did in the remaining three states (54% collectively). Average Palmer amaranth hand-weeding costs in the midsouth was US$59 ha−1. Three-fourths of the midsouth consultants stipulated the need for continued research and education focused on management of glyphosate-resistant and glyphosate-tolerant weed species.


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