Parsons, Kansas —
When weeds invade your field, pasture, garden or lawn, you want to use the right weapon for fighting back.
“Proper identification of weeds is important so that you choose an appropriate and cost-effective method of control,” said Kevin Bradley, University of Missouri Extension weed scientist.
There are hundreds of common weed species in Missouri, but an online tool from the MU Weed Science program can help you narrow your list of suspects.
The MU Weed ID Guide—available in desktop and mobile versions at weedID.missouri.edu and weedID.missouri.edu/mobile—has information on more than 400 plant species that can show up as weeds of field and horticultural crops, pastures, lawns, gardens, and noncrop or aquatic areas in Missouri and surrounding states, Bradley said.
“The Website has a keying system that allows users to identify an unknown plant after they have selected the appropriate characteristics from a series of drop-down boxes,” he said.
Pop-up illustrations help the user identify more obscure characteristics such as the presence of ligules, auricles and petioles.
“If you have some idea as to what your weed species might be, you can simply type all or part of the common or scientific name into the appropriate text box,” Bradley said.
Once you’ve narrowed the possibilities to a reasonable number of candidates, the site will display the names and photos of weeds that match the characteristics you selected, with links to more information about each plant.
Bradley said an improved mobile version of the Website is in the works that will better match the usability of apps for smartphones and tablet computers.£
Crops
MU Website helps ID common weeds
- Crops
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Plant now, add nitrogen later
When the rain faucet shuts off, plant first and apply nitrogen later, advises Peter Scharf, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist and professor in plant sciences at the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
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MU Field Scouting Report: No freeze damage to wheat, delayed corn planting
Wheat is in the flag leaf to early boot stage. No freeze damage to the wheat head was seen. Temporary phosphorus deficiency, identified by purpling on leaf tips, was seen due to cold weather.
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Corn planting dates and cold temps cause concern
“The possibility of temperatures nearing 32 degrees or below, there is concern among producers for damage of the wheat head,” said Jill Scheidt, agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension in Barton County. According to Bill Wiebold, state specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, wheat is the most sensitive to freezing temperatures when the heads are coming out and flowers are beginning to form.
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Wildcat Extension Report: Can gypsum fix what ails your soil?
A man much wiser than me once said that the easiest way to change your soil is to move. Unfortunately, this is not always an option for most producers. Soils in southeast Kansas are classified, in general, to be heavy clay soils.
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Kansas wheat growers should be aware of crop diseases
With forecasts of snow still a possibility and the wheat just starting to green up in parts of Kansas, it may surprise some wheat growers to know that March is an important month for wheat disease development.
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Cover crops can provide many benefits
Having plant growth in fields year-round can improve the soil, according to Tim Reinbott, superintendent of the University of Missouri Bradford Research Center. He says using cover crops in the fall and spring can provide large benefits.
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Drought impacts U.S. soybean quality results
According to a recent soy-checkoff-funded study, the overall oil levels in last year’s U.S. soybean crop increased over the previous year, while average protein fell. United Soybean Board (USB) Customer Focus Action Team Chair Sharon Covert says U.S. soy’s biggest users pay attention to those results.
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Midwest soil could take up to two years to recover
The Midwest suffered the worst drought in years last summer, and Midwest soil has been suffering from a drought since early 2010. As a result, crops have wilted and farmers have fallen on hard times. Now, a University of Missouri researcher says that it may take at least two years for crops and soil to recover.
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Ag profitability conference addresses crop concerns
Corn and soybean producers face wide-ranging harvest price possibilities for the crops they plant this spring.
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Local growers get latest on new herbicides
Controlling herbicide resistant weeds was the hot topic during the Andrew County Ag. Update conference on Thursday, Jan. 17 in the Clasbey Center in Savannah, Mo.
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Plant now, add nitrogen later
