Weed Survey Results

Good Day! Hope all is well for you!

Rainfall for last week ranged from a 0 at eight locations to 0.05 inch with an average of 0.008 inch. The high temperature for the past week ranged from 63 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit with an average of 78 degrees Fahrenheit, four degrees below the normal high temperature of 82 degrees. We reached the highest temperature for the year last week, so it is a downward slide! Oh no! The high temperature forecast for the coming week will be slightly below normal.

Wheat harvest has begun in the earliest planted fields that are sandy. The one yield report I heard was only 30 bushels per acre due to the dry weather and sandy soil. Protein levels were as high as 16 percent, but there is no protein premium this year, only a discount for under 14% protein. Wheat quality was good and the wheat got down to 12% moisture. Crop stages are behind last year.

I conducted my annual weed survey in wheat last Thursday and Friday. I drove my usual loop of 73 miles around the county going through parts of Washburn, Romness, Tyrol, Addie, Bryan, Kingsley, Mabel, Dover, Bartley, Greenfield, Ball Hill, Sverdrup, and Cooperstown townships. I evaluated weed control in 49 wheat fields representing approximately 9930 acres. Average field size was approximately 200 acres.

I rated the fields as weed-free meaning there were no weeds in the field, 1 meaning an occasional plant in the field, 2 meaning patches of weeds in field, or 3 meaning widespread plants throughout the field.

Only four percent of wheat fields along my route were weed free! This is too few of wheat fields not having weeds! Last year 20 percent of fields were weed free!

Kochia was the most prevalent weed observed in wheat fields for the second year in a row. Sixty-nine percent of fields had some amount of kochia in them. This is a little less than the 76 percent of fields last year. The average density rating (1 to 3) as described above was 1.09 compared to 1.65 last year, so the density of kochia was much less this year. Ninety-one percent of fields were only rated a 1.

The next most prevalent weed again was foxtail barley, a grass species. Fifty-one percent of fields had some amount of foxtail barley, compared to last year at 40%. The average density rating was a 1.36 compared to 1.1 last year, so the density increased. Twenty-eight percent of fields were rated a 2 or 3! Fall glyphosate applications will be needed to reduce this species. Since vertical tillage does not remove all plants, especially foxtail barley, a spring burndown with glyphosate is another option. However, glyphosate applied in the fall is most effective. We need to get a handle on this weed.

The next most prevalent weed was barnyardgrass. Twenty-nine percent of wheat fields had some amount of barnyardgrass, compared to last year at only 2%. The average density rating was 1.43, which was lower than the 2.2 last year. 28% of fields were rated at a 2 or 3 this year.

The next most prevalent weed was common milkweed. Fourteen percent of wheat fields had some amount of common milkweed, compared to last year at 4%. The average density rating was 1, so 100% of fields were rated a 1.

Canada thistle, waterhemp, wild oat were present in 8% of wheat fields at some amount. Waterhemp did not even show up last year in the survey! That means waterhemp is here to stay in the county. Pull all plants from wheat fields since there were very few present. If you need help with identification, please contact the County Extension Office. There were slightly more fields with Canada thistle and wild oat than last year.

Other weeds found in the survey at less than 7% included marshelder, foxtail, redroot pigweed, stinkgrass, absinth wormwood, volunteer corn, Powell amaranth, prickly lettuce, horseweed (marestail), volunteer rye, and bromegrass.

Thirty percent of fields had at least two weed species present and 16% of fields had four weed species present.

If you want solutions contact the County Extension Office.