Manhattan, Kansas, USA
January 26, 2015
K-State weed scientists would like some help from producers, extension agents, crop consultants, agronomists, and others in documenting the distribution of two herbicide-resistant grassy weeds.
“We are interested in knowing where there are populations of shattercane and Johnsongrass that producers or others had problems controlling in past years with ALS-inhibitor herbicides, such as Accent or Beacon in corn, or Pursuit in soybean,” said Anita Dille, K-State Research and Extension weed scientist.
The scientists would like to target problem sites to determine if the resistance still exists today. They would also like to track the possible spread of the ALS-resistance gene to populations of shattercane or Johnsongrass once the new Inzen Z grain sorghum hybrids are available.
“If you recall having a population of shattercane or Johnsongrass that was difficult to control with ALS-inhibitor herbicides in the 1990’s, or is difficult to control today with these herbicides, please contact your county or district agricultural extension agent with the location of these populations. The agents will then report to us and we will come gather seeds for testing. Even if the problem occurred several years ago, some plants from these populations may still exist on the perimeter of what was a problem field,” said Eric VanLoenen, agronomy graduate student from Hill City, who is working with Dille on the project.
Growers using Inzen Z sorghum will be required to implement stewardship practices. Documenting the distribution of ALS-resistant wild sorghum species before and after the release of Inzen Z sorghum will help determine the success of the stewardship program.
For more information, contact any K-State county or district agricultural agent; or Anita Dille, weed scientist at dieleman@ksu.edu; Eric VanLoenen, graduate research assistant at Ericv61@ksu.edu; or Curtis Thompson, extension weed management specialist at cthompso@ksu.edu.
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