Law

No Pigweed Left Behind – Late-Season Scouting for Palmer Amaranth and Waterhemp

by: Mark Loux

If you don’t already have to deal with waterhemp or Palmer amaranth, you don’t want it.  Ask anyone who does.  Neither one of these weeds is easy to manage, and both can cause substantial increases in the cost of herbicide programs, which have to be constantly changed to account for the multiple resistance that will develop over time (not “can”, “will”).  The trend across the country is for them to develop resistance to any new herbicide sites of action that are used in POST treatments.  Preventing new infestations of these weeds should be of high priority for Ohio growers.  When not adequately controlled, Palmer amaranth can take over a field faster than any other annual weed we deal with, and waterhemp is a close second.  Taking the time to remove any Palmer and waterhemp plants from fields in late-season before they produce seed will go a long way toward maintaining the profitability of Ohio farm operations.  There is information on Palmer amaranth and waterhemp identification on most university websites, including ours –  u.osu.edu/osuweeds/ (go to “weeds” and then “Palmer amaranth”).  An excellent brief video on identification can be found there, along with a fact sheet.  The dead giveaway for Palmer amaranth as we move into late summer is the long seedhead, and those on female seed-bearing plants are extremely rough to the touch.

If you need help with identification, call John at 740-397-0401.

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Agricultural nutrients targeted in Clean Lake 2020 bill and Kasich Executive Order

by: Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law

Recent actions by the Ohio legislature and Governor Kasich will affect the management of agricultural nutrients in Ohio.   The Ohio General Assembly has passed “Clean Lake 2020” legislation that will provide funding for reducing phosphorous in Lake Erie.  Governor Kasich signed the Clean Lake 2020 bill on July 10, in tandem with issuing Executive Order 2018—09K, “Taking Steps to Protect Lake Erie.”  The two actions aim to address the impact of agricultural nutrients on water quality in Lake Erie.

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Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 21 Palmer Amaranth

Palmer Amaranth

Family: Pigweed, Amaranthaceae.

Habitat: Crop fields, pastures, and roadsides.

Life cycle: Summer annual.

Growth habit: Erect up to 6 ft. high.

Leaves: Prominent white veins on the undersurface unlike redroot pigweed, not pubescent, alternate, without hairs (glabrous), and lance or egg-shaped.  Leaves are 2 to 8 inches long and 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches wide with prominent white veins on the undersurface.  Leaves occur on relatively long petioles.

Flower: Small, green, inconspicuous flowers are produced in dense, compact, terminal panicles that are from 1/2 to 1 1/2 feet long. Smaller lateral flowers also occur between the stem and the leaf petioles (leaf axils).  Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Each terminal panicle contains many densely packed branched spikes that have bracts that are 3 to 6 mm long; can produce 500 thousand to 1 million seeds per plant.

Roots: Taproot that is often, but not always, reddish in color

Stem: One central stem occurs from which several lateral branches arise.

Similar Plants: Loosely resembles many other pigweed species. Palmer’s petioles are as long or longer than the actual leaf. This plant is hairless and has elongated seed heads. Leaves are typically more diamond shaped than other pigweed species, and occasionally has one hair at the tip of the leaf.

The Problem is……..Palmer amaranth is one of the most difficult weeds to control in agricultural crops.  It developed a major glyphosate resistance problem in the southern US from 2006-2010, and has been spreading in the midwestern US since, causing crop loss and increases in weed management costs. Characteristics that make it a successful annual weed include: rapid growth rate; wide window of emergence (early May through late summer); prolific seed production (upwards of 500,000 seeds/plant); tendency to develop herbicide resistance; and tolerance to many post-emergence herbicides when more than 3 inches tall.

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Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 20 Marestail

Marestail

Family: Composite, Asteraceae.

Habitat: Thin turf, agronomic crops, pastures, orchards, fallow fields, waste areas, and roadsides.

Life cycle: Summer or winter annual.

Growth habit: Seedlings develop a basal rosette and mature plants erect are reaching 6 1/2 ft in height.

Leaves: The mature plant has leaves that are entirely without petioles (sessile). Leaves are 4 inches long, 10 mm wide, alternate, linear, entire or more often toothed, crowded along the stem, and hairy. Leaves become progressively smaller up the stem.

Stem: Erect, solid, hairy, reaching 6 1/2 ft in height.

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Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 18 Wild Mustard

Wild Mustard

Family: Mustard, Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Wasteland, roadsides, grain and other fields crops, primarily in northern Ohio.

Life cycle: Annual annual or summer annual.

Growth Habit: 1-2 feet high, branched and erect.

Leaves: Alternate, 2-7 inches long. Lower leaves have petioles and are irregularly lobed and toothed with bristly hairs; upper leaves are smaller and may not be lobed; petioles lacking or short.

Stem: Branched near top, bristly.

Flower: June – October. 1/2 inch, bright yellow, four-petal flowers borne in small terminal clusters.

Fruit: Slender, slightly curved, smooth seedpod about 1 inch long; borne on upper branches.

Similar plants: The yellow rocket looks similar but has rounded lower leaves that are more heart shaped.

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Palmer Amaranth

Palmer Amaranth 

Palmer Amaranth has been found in Knox County.

Watch this video for more information.

Palmer Amaranth is on the Ohio Noxious weed list.

Check back for more videos discussing identification and control of this devastating weed!

A big thanks to our co-workers in Delaware County for making this video available!

Checkout other videos on our YouTube Channel.

Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 17 Wild Carrot

Wild Carrot

Family: Parsley, Apiaceae.

Habitat: Dry fields, wastelands, pastures, and no-till field crops.

Life cycle: Biennial, forming a rosette the first year and producing flowers and seed in the second.

First Year Growth Habit: A basal rosette.

Second Year Growth Habit: 1-3 feet tall, branched and erect.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, finely divided and hairy.

Flowering Stem: Tall, hairy, stout, and branched.

Flower: June – October (second year). Small, lacy white 5-petaled flowers in flat-topped, umbrella shaped clusters with one dark reddish-brown flower in the center. Flower closes up and turns brown as it matures.

Root: Fleshy taproot.

Similar plants: Leaves have the appearance and odor of a garden carrot. Wild carrots taproot is not as large as the garden carrot. The plant also resembles poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). However, wild carrot has a hairy stem while poison hemlock has a smooth stem with purple blotches. The dark floret in the center of the inflorescence in second year and a distinctive carrot smell in the first year will also help distinguish this common weed.

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Poison Hemlock is in Full Flower and Towering over Fields and Landscapes in Ohio

Orginally posted on Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine- June 1, 2018, By: Joe Boggs

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the most lethal plants found in North America.  This biennial weed is now in full flower throughout much of Ohio.  So, the clock is ticking on preventing seed production by this non-native invasive plant.

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Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 16 Poison Hemlock

Poison Hemlock

Family: Parsley, Apiaceae.

Habitat: Wet sites, gardens, roadsides, wastelands, pastures, and meadows.

Life cycle: Biennial, forming a rosette the first year and producing flowers and seed in the second.

First Year Growth Habit: Basal rosette of finely divided leaves with a pungent odor.

Second-Year Growth Habit: 2-7 feet tall, branched plant with flowers.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, finely divided, toothed, and glossy green.

Stems: Branched, waxy with purple blotches; hollow between nodes and grooved.

Flower: June – August (second year). Clusters of small white flowers with 5 petals in a loose, umbrella-like cluster, 2-7” across.

Root: Fleshy taproot.

Similar plants: During the first year, poison hemlock resembles wild carrot, but has a strong, pungent odor. Further, young leaves of wild carrot are more finely divided and its stem is hairy. At maturity, poison hemlock can be difficult to distinguish from water parsnip and water hemlock. Look for purple blotches on the stem to identify poison hemlock. Water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), which is also highly poisonous, has a magenta-streaked stem and lanceolate leaflets with sharply-toothed edges. Water parsnip (Sium suave) is not poisonous and has toothed lanceolate leaflets.

The problem is….This plant is highly poisonous to both humans and animals. Poison hemlock is a large and impressive plant which has been planted as an ornamental in some areas. It grows quickly in fertile soils.

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Ohio Noxious Weed Identification – Week 15 Johnsongrass

Johnsongrass

Family: Grass, Poaceae.

Habitat: Rich soils, cultivated fields throughout Ohio.

Life cycle: Perennial, spreading by rhizomes and seed.

Growth Habit: 3-6 feet or more.

Leaves: 0.5 -1 inch wide, smooth blades with a prominent white midvein.

Flower: July – October. Can be up to 1 foot or more in length; panicles are loosely branched, purplish, and hairy. spikelets occur in pairs or threes.

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