Weeds

Palmer amaranth is a weed species that must be thoughtfully and carefully managed; simply attempting to control Palmer amaranth often leads to ineffective herbicide applications, substantial crop yield loss, and increasing weed infestations.  Ignored or otherwise not effectively managed, Palmer amaranth can reduce corn and soybean yield to near zero.  The threat of Palmer amaranth during the 2014 growing season is very real across a large portion of Illinois.
In January 2014, the weed science program at the University of Illinois developed recommendations for management of Palmer amaranth in agronomic crops. …

Widespread and often very dense populations of marestail in soybean fields last spring caught the attention of farmers and other weed management practitioners.  Many came to the difficult realization that marestail is not a problem weed species only in the more southern portions of Illinois.  It’s difficult to say with complete accuracy how far north these infestations occurred, but mature marestail was easily observed during recent travels through Kankakee and Will counties.  As we mentioned earlier this year,…

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) has garnered much attention recently in both academic discussions and popular press releases, and with good reason.  Among the weedy species of Amaranthus, Palmer amaranth has the fastest growth rate and is the most competitive with the crops common to Midwest agronomic cropping systems.  Soybean yield losses approaching 80% and corn yield losses exceeding 90% have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.  Palmer amaranth can be effectively managed in Illinois agronomic crops,…

Recently, we have identified populations of Palmer amaranth in several Illinois counties.  The density of many populations is relatively low, and often these plants occur only in small patches.  However, a few scattered plants this year can lead to severe infestations within only a few years.
We continue to accept tissue samples from suspected Palmer amaranth plants and use tools of molecular biology to identify whether the sample is Palmer amaranth or another species of Amaranthus. …

The volume of inquiries about how to control large (taller than 12 inches) horseweed (a.k.a. marestail) and waterhemp in soybean has remained consistent over the past 10 days.  The answer can be summarized as follows: there are NO postemergence herbicides that will consistently control these very large weeds in soybean, especially if these weeds are resistant to glyphosate.
Glyphosate-resistant waterhemp can be controlled by foliar-applied PPO inhibitors (such as lactofen (Cobra), fomesafen (Flexstar) or acifluorfen (Ultra Blazer)) in conventional or glyphosate-resistant soybean varieties,…

We would like to take this opportunity to once again extend the invitation to attend the 2013 University of Illinois Weed Science Field Day, to be held Wednesday, June 26th at the University of Illinois Crop Sciences Research and Education Center, located immediately south of the main campus.  Coffee and refreshments will be available under the shade trees near the Seed House beginning at 8:00 a.m.  The tour will provide ample opportunity to look at research plots and interact with weed science faculty,…

We are pleased to announce that, with continued financial support from the Illinois Soybean Association, we are offering free screening for herbicide resistance in waterhemp during the 2013 growing season.  To date, over 1000 plant samples have been screened through this collaborative effort between the weed science program at the University of Illinois and the Illinois Soybean Association.  This valuable service helps farmers and researchers better track and understand the evolution of herbicide resistance in waterhemp across the state.…

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) is a summer annual broadleaf weed species taxonomically related to other pigweed species (waterhemp, smooth, redroot) common in Illinois agronomic cropping systems.  Palmer amaranth is not indigenous to Illinois, but rather evolved as a desert-dwelling species in the southwestern United States including areas of the Sonoran Desert.  Genotypic and phenotypic adaptability have allowed Palmer amaranth to expand its distribution and colonize the vastly different agricultural landscapes across much of the eastern half of the United States,…