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WEED MANAGEMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES DEVELOPMENT STAGES

Most crop plants and weeds have four stages of devel-
opment:
After completely studying this chapter, you should:
■ SEEDLING—small, delicate, newly emerged plants.
■ Be able to define a weed and its four stages of
development. ■ VEGETATIVE—plant grows quickly, producing
stems, roots, and leaves.
■ Understand the differences between annual, biennial, ■ SEED PRODUCTION—plant’s energy is directed
and perennial weeds. into producing flowers and seeds.
■ Be able to give examples of cultural weed controls. ■ MATURITY—plant produces little or no energy.
■ Know the advantages and disadvantages of the vari- Some plants begin to dry out or desiccate.
ous methods of herbicide applications.
■ Understand herbicide carryover and how to prevent
it.
LIFE CYCLES OF WEEDS
Weeds can be classified according to their life cycle.
■ Know what herbicide adjuvants are. The three types of plant life cycles for weeds are annual,
biennial, and perennial.

ANNUAL
Weeds are plants growing where they are not wanted. Plants that complete their life cycle in one year
They can reduce yields by competing with crops for are annuals. They germinate from seed, grow, mature,
water, nutrients, and light. Some weeds release toxins produce seed, and die in one year or less. Annuals
that inhibit crop growth; others may harbor insects, dis- reproduce by seed only and
eases, or nematodes that attack crops. Weeds often inter- do not have any vegetative
fere with harvesting operations, and at times contamina- reproductive parts. Summer
tion with weed seeds or other plant parts may render a annuals may germinate from
crop unfit for market. Profitable crop production seed in the spring, flower
depends on effective weed control. and produce seed during the
summer, and die in the sum-
mer or fall. Winter annuals
germinate from seed in the
fall and reproduce and die
the following year. Annual
weeds are easiest to control
at the seedling stage. Cocklebur.

Vegetable Crop Pest Management 51 Chapter 6

BIENNIAL Perennials
Biennials complete ■ Johnsongrass
their growth cycle in two
years. The first year, the ■ Yellow nutsedge
plant produces leaves ■ Quackgrass
and stores food. The sec-
ond year, it produces
fruits and seeds. Biennial
weeds are most com- BROADLEAF WEEDS
monly found in no-till
fields, pastures, and Annuals
unmowed fencerows.
They are easiest to con- ■ Ladysthumb Yellow Nutsedge.
trol in the seedling stage. ■ Pennsylvania smartweed
Bull thistle is a biennial.
■ Wild buckwheat
PERENNIAL
Perennials are plants that live for two or more years. ■ Common lambsquarters
Perennials can reproduce by seed or vegetatively. The ■ Redroot pigweed
plant parts that allow perennials
to spread without producing ■ Eastern black nightshade
seeds are stolons (creeping above- ■ Common cocklebur
ground stems—e.g., white clover
and strawberries), rhizomes ■ Jimsonweed
(creeping belowground stems— ■ Common purslane
e.g., milkweed, quackgrass), tubers
(enlarged underground stems— ■ Common ragweed Redroot Pigweed.
e.g., potato, yellow nutsedge), ■ Giant ragweed
and bulbs (underground stem
covered by fleshy leaves—e.g., ■ Velvetleaf
tulip). Because perennial weeds ■ Common chickweed
can propagate (spread) under- Johnsongrass is a
ground, they can be the most dif- creeping perennial. ■ Shepherd’s purse
ficult weeds to control. Removing the aboveground vege- ■ Horseweed (Marestail)
tation will not stop the weed from spreading.
■ Prickly lettuce
Annuals, biennials, and perennials can reproduce
from seed. Many weeds produce large quantities of ■ Wild mustard
seeds. Seeds are easily dispersed across a field by wind, ■ Yellow rocket
rain, machinery, animals, and people. Weed seeds can
germinate after being dormant for long periods of time.
They can also tolerate extremes in weather such as tem- Biennials
perature and moisture. To prevent seed dispersal, you ■ White campion
should control weeds before they produce seeds.
■ Wild carrot
■ Bull thistle Velvetleaf.
COMMON WEEDS IN MICHIGAN
Perennials
GRASS AND GRASSLIKE WEEDS ■ Milkweed

Annuals ■ Hemp dogbane

■ Barnyard grass ■ Canadian thistle
■ Large crabgrass ■ Dandelion
■ Smooth crabgrass ■ Field bindweed
■ Giant foxtail ■ Perennial sow thistle
■ Yellow foxtail ■ Swamp smartweed
■ Green foxtail ■ Goldenrod
■ Fall panicum ■ Plantain
■ Wild-proso millet
Monocot or
■ Witchgrass Grass plant.

Chapter 6 52 Vegetable Crop Pest Management

WEED CONTROL Advantages of preplant soil applications and
incorporation:
CULTURAL CONTROL ■ Early weed control reduces weed competition
with the crop.
Crop competition is a very useful method of weed
control. Production practices that optimize crop growth ■ Wet weather will not delay cultivation or herbi-
enable the crop plants to compete effectively with weeds. cide application to control weeds.
Crop management practices that can improve the com- ■ Preplant soil application and incorporation is
petitive ability of the crop are crop and variety selection, less dependent on rainfall for herbicide activa-
planting date, population, soil fertility, drainage, etc. tion than preemergence herbicide applications.
Recommended crop production practices are also benefi-
cial weed control practices. Disadvantages of preplant soil applications
and incorporation:
Crop rotation may also be helpful in maintaining ade-
quate weed control. Many weeds cannot tolerate crop ■ Incorporating the herbicide too deep in the soil
rotation. can reduce weed control.
■ A streaking pattern of good and poor weed
control can result from incomplete soil incor-
MECHANICAL CONTROL poration.
Tillage buries weeds or ■ Growers apply herbicide without identifying
destroys their under- the weeds. They are preventive applications.
ground plant parts. Small ■ It is incompatible with a no-till system.
annual and biennial
seedlings are more effec-
tively controlled with
tillage. Disturbing the soil,
however, can bring new
weed seeds near the soil
surface and create more
weed problems.

CHEMICAL CONTROL
The first step in successful chemical weed control is
the correct identification of the weeds. Annual weeds are
easier to kill when they are small seedlings and when
conditions favor rapid growth, but, crop plants are also
easily injured under these conditions. Selective herbi-
cides should control the weeds with little or no injury to
the crop.
Timing and rate of herbicide application are very
important in chemical weed control. Applying herbicides
at the wrong time often results in poor weed control and
crop injury.

TYPES OF HERBICIDES
Chemical weed control can be obtained with herbi-
cides applied either preplant incorporated, preemer-
gence, or postemergence. Many herbicides can be applied
by more than one of these methods.

Preplant Herbicide Soil Applications

and Incorporation Preemergence Herbicide Applications
Preemergence herbicide applications are applied to
Preplant incorporation applications are herbicides
the soil surface after the crop has been planted but before
applied and incorporated into the soil before planting.
the crop or weeds emerge. Typically, preemergence her-
Incorporation of some herbicides is required to prevent
bicide applications require rainfall within one week fol-
them from volatilizing (becoming a gas) into the air or
lowing the application to ensure that the herbicide moves
decomposing in the sun.
into the soil.

Vegetable Crop Pest Management 53 Chapter 6

 Advantages of preemergence applications: Disadvantages of postemergent
■ Early control of weeds reduces weed competi- applications:
tion with crop. ■ Postemergent herbicides are environmentally
■ They can be used in all tillage systems. sensitive at the time of application.
■ Planting and herbicide application may be done ■ Weeds must be correctly identified.
at the same time. ■ Timing of the application is critical for effective
weed control.
Disadvantages of preemergence
applications: ■ Postemergent herbicides should not be applied
to wet foliage.
■ They depend on rainfall and are ineffective in
■ Weather may not permit a herbicide application
dry soil conditions.
at the proper time.
■ On sandy soil, heavy rains may move the her-
bicide down in the soil to the germinating crop
seed and cause injury. HERBICIDE CARRYOVER
■ Growers apply herbicide without identifying A potential problem of herbicide applications is herbi-
the weeds. They are preventive applications. cide carryover. This occurs when a herbicide does not
break down during the season of application and persists
Postemergence Herbicide Applications in sufficient quantities to injure succeeding crops. The
breakdown of herbicides is a chemical and/or microbial
Postemergence herbicide applications are applied to process. Generally the rate of breakdown increases with
the foliage of the weeds after the crop and weeds have soil temperature. Very dry conditions during the summer
emerged. There are two types of postemergence herbi- and early fall often increase the potential for carryover of
cides: contact and systemic. Contact herbicides kill only many herbicides.
the plant parts that they touch. Typically, the above-
ground parts of a weed, such as the leaves and stems, Herbicide carryover is also influenced by the rate of
turn brown and die. Contact herbicides are commonly application, herbicide distribution across a field, soil
used to control annuals. type, and time. When herbicides are used above the
labeled rate and/or not uniformly distributed, herbicide
Systemic or translocated herbicides are absorbed by carryover problems may result. Poor distribution is gen-
the weed’s roots or leaves and moved throughout the erally the result of improper calibration or agitation,
plant. Translocated herbicides are more effective than sprayer overlapping, or non-uniform soil incorporation.
contact herbicides against perennial weeds because the
herbicide reaches all parts of the plant, but, translocated Vegetable and ornamental crops are often more sensi-
herbicides may take up to three weeks to kill the weeds. tive to herbicide carryover than field crops. To reduce the
potential of herbicide carryover, read and follow all pes-
ticide label directions. Herbicide labels contain restric-
tions on the interval between application and planting of
various crops. Consult the current version of MSU
Extension bulletin E-433, Weed Control Guide for Vegetable
Crops, for more information on herbicides.

HERBICIDE COMBINATIONS
Herbicides are commonly combined and applied as a
tank mix. Combinations are used to give more consistent
Contact Translocated
control or a broader spectrum weed control, to decrease
Herbicide Herbicide herbicide carryover, or to
obtain adequate season-
long weed control. Proper
application methods must
Advantages of postemergent applications: be followed for each her-
■ Herbicide is applied after the weed problem bicide detailed on the
occurs (remedial application). EPA-approved pesticide
■ They are less susceptible to environmental label. Always remember
conditions after the herbicide application than to read the pesticide label
preemergent herbicides. before combining or
applying herbicides.
■ They are useful for spot treatments.
■ Postemergent herbicide applications have short
or no soil residual.

Chapter 6 54 Vegetable Crop Pest Management

HERBICIDE ADDITIVES (ADJUVANTS) HERBICIDE COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS
An adjuvant is any substance added to a herbicide to Compatibility problems in tank mixing herbicides
enhance its effectiveness. Many commercially available usually occur when applicators do not follow mixing
herbicide formulations contain their own particular set of directions. Some common causes of compatibility prob-
adjuvants to optimize the performance, mixing, and han- lems are: mixing two herbicides in the wrong order (for
dling of the active ingredient. Sometimes additional example, adding an emulsifiable concentrate to the spray
additives are required for specific applications or herbi- tank before suspending a wettable powder), insufficient
cide combinations. The pesticide label will explain how agitation, excessive agitation, and air leaks. Problems can
and when to use the necessary adjuvants. also occur when the carrier is a fertilizer such as 28 per-
Additives are used primarily with postemergence her- cent nitrogen or other non-water substances. You should
bicide applications to improve the coverage of leaf sur- test for herbicide compatibility in a small container
faces and increase herbicide penetration into the leaf. before mixing a large tank. If compatibility problems
Additives do not increase the effectiveness of soil-applied occur, adding compatibility agents may help.
herbicides.

4. Weeds are easiest to control at the:

C Review Questions A. Reproductive stage.

6
B. Vegetative stage.
H
A C. Seedling stage.
P
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Chapter 6: D. Mature stage.

R Weed Management 5. Which of the following is an example of a broadleaf

weed?
A. Quackgrass.
Write the answers to the following questions and
then check your answers with those in the back of B. Green foxtail.
the manual. C. Wild-proso millet.

1. Define a weed. D. Common ragweed.

6. An example of a perennial grass weed is:

A. Quackgrass.
B. Wild carrot.
C. Barnyard grass.
D. Smooth crabgrass.

7. Reducing the competition between a crop and weeds

2. Plants that complete their life cycle in one year are: by changing the planting population of the crop is an
example of:
A. Biennials.
A. Biological weed control.
B. Annuals.
B. Cultural weed control.
C. Perennials.
C. Chemical weed control.
D. None of the above.
D. Mechanical weed control.
3. An aboveground creeping stem is called a:
8. Preemergence herbicides generally require rainfall
A. Rhizome.
within a week of application to incorporate the herbi-
B. Stolon. cide in the soil.
C. Tuber. A. True
D. Bulb. B. False

Vegetable Crop Pest Management 55 Chapter 6

9. Which of the following is true of preplant incorporat- 13. A grower has a quackgrass problem in a cucumber
ed herbicide applications? field where the plants have three leaves. Which type
of herbicide application would you use to control the
A. They provide early weed control. quackgrass?
B. They can be used in all tillage systems.
A. Preplant soil incorporated
C. They typically cause more crop injury than poste- B. Postemergent
mergence herbicide applications.
C. Preemergent
D. They are not affected by soil composition and
moisture. D. None of the above

14. The best way to reduce the potential of herbicide

10. List two advantages and two disadvantages of carryover is to follow the pesticide label directions.
postemergence herbicide applications.
A. True
B. False

15. What is a herbicide adjuvant?

11. Systemic herbicides kill weeds on contact.

A. True.
B. False.

16. It is not necessary to test for herbicide compatibility

12. A preventive herbicide application occurs ______ before mixing a large tank.
weeds have emerged.
A. True
A. before
B. False
B. after

Chapter 6 56 Vegetable Crop Pest Management