Bob Hartzler

August 25, 2018 10:10 AM

The finding of mile-a-minute weed near Knoxville, and the subsequent request for reports of additional infestations, has led to a flurry of calls regarding potential findings. Fortunately, none of the reports have been positive, but we appreciate people paying attention to plants in the...

Weeds
August 15, 2018 12:40 PM

Another contest is in the books, and once again we provided a sufficient challenge to prevent anyone from earning a perfect score.  In the Professional Division, two-time defending champion Cindy Recker was narrowly edged out by Karen Stiles, last year’s winner in the General Division. Both...

Weeds
July 23, 2018 3:36 PM

Mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata) is an invasive species in the Polygonaceae (smartweed) family that is native to Asia.  It is believed to have been introduced to the United States in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but the initial introductions failed to form permanent...

Weeds
July 9, 2018 9:35 AM

Off-target injury associated with dicamba application in dicamba-resistant soybean was a significant problem in the Cornbelt during 2017 (A final report on dicamba-injured soybean acres).  The increase in...

Weeds
May 18, 2018 8:31 AM

Cool conditions during planting season increase the potential for herbicide injury to seedlings due to slow emergence and reduced ability of the crop to metabolize herbicides. While herbicides may be responsible for emergence issues, most problems that have been brought to our attention seem to...

Weeds
March 4, 2018 10:40 AM

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released a report (A menace to monarchs) describing the threat to monarch butterflies posed by an increased use of dicamba. ...

Weeds
December 27, 2017 3:37 PM

Dicamba has been an important component of Iowa weed management systems for more than 40 years.  The history of its use is somewhat unique in that its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time.  The increase in herbicide resistant weeds combined with the introduction of dicamba-resistant soybean...

Weeds
December 19, 2017 8:30 AM

At the recent North Central Weed Science Society annual meeting I was asked to provide the opening presentation (A historical perspective on dicamba) in a symposium focusing on issues with dicamba.  Following are the slides and the abstract of my presentation.

...

Weeds
September 18, 2017 11:59 AM

My colleagues at Purdue recently compiled weather data to determine how many hours would be available to apply the new dicamba products (e.g. Xtendimax with VaporGrip Technology, FeXapan with VaporGrip Technology, and Engenia...

Weeds
September 5, 2017 10:56 AM

For the past four years (maybe five) I’ve visited the first three known infestations of Palmer amaranth in western Iowa to track the status of the populations in these fields.  Following is a brief summary of  my visits to Harrison, Fremont and Page Counties on September 3.

Weeds
August 16, 2017 7:47 AM

The following article originally appeared on the ISU Weed Science Online website.  Current research is showing that the new formulations of dicamba (Xtendimax with Vapor Grip Technology and Engenia) have not solved the volatility problem associated with dicamba.  Since the fundamentals of...

Weeds
August 15, 2017 12:49 PM

For the first time in recent history, a contestant successfully defended their title in the Professional Division at the State Fair Weed ID Contest.  Cindy Recker of Peosta repeated as champion of the Professional Division, Karen Stiles of Des Moines won the General Division, and Henric Krause...

Weeds
July 19, 2017 8:13 AM

The 2017 State Fair Weed Identification Contest will be held on Friday, August 11, from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM.  Contestants can show up anytime during this period and complete the task at their own pace.  

The contest is held outside of the John Deere Agriculture Building, but moves indoors...

Weeds
July 13, 2017 8:38 AM

While off-target movement of pesticides is not a new problem, the growth regulator herbicides create a unique situation due to their ability to induce easily observed symptoms at very low doses. Large scale drift problems were experienced when the phenoxy herbicides were introduced in the 1950s...

Weeds
June 22, 2017 11:04 AM

The introduction and spread of Palmer amaranth in Iowa undoubtedly will have a significant impact on crop production and weed management in the future.  However, since the first infestations were identified I've been intrigued by what seemed odd behavior for a plant with Palmer amaranth's...

Weeds
June 21, 2017 12:33 PM

The six weedy Amaranthus species at the weed garden have grown quite a bit, but I'm not sure how much easier it is to differentiate a few of the species. The six pigweeds are Palmer, Powell's and spiny amaranth, waterhemp, and redroot and tumble pigweed (not in that order!!). The...

Weeds
June 13, 2017 7:55 AM

This year at the ISU FEEL weed garden I've established a plot with nine weedy members of the Amaranthaceae family, including six pigweeds .  The pigweeds were transplanted on June 9 and pictures taken on June 11. Species include redroot pigweed, tumble pigweed, Palmer amaranth, spiny amaranth,...

Weeds
June 8, 2017 2:19 PM

While searching for Palmer amaranth in a pollinator habitat planting I encountered a few musk thistles.  As I always do when I see this weed, I examined flower heads for the presence of the musk thistle weevil.  This insect was imported to North America as a biocontrol agent for musk thistle.  ...

Weeds
May 12, 2017 3:43 PM

I decided to take advantage of the great weather and see if Palmer amaranth could be identified in CRP fields where it was introduced last year.  I went to one field in Boone County and another in Story County.  I was happy to find that both fields had good stands of forbs that will compete with...

Weeds
May 1, 2017 11:11 AM

There are several challenges to controlling Palmer amaranth in CRP, including:

Weeds
April 18, 2017 12:27 PM

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is helping Iowa farmers manage weeds, insects and diseases in their fields.

Pest management is key to high yields and quality grain. ISU Extension and Outreach specialists are working to provide the tools and resources farmers need to manage...

Insects and Mites, Plant Diseases, Weeds
April 17, 2017 3:54 PM

A common question regarding cover crops is will interception of preemergence herbicides by the cover crop reduce the activity of the herbicides. If this was a consistent problem, it would make sense to apply the preemergence herbicide in a separate application from the burndown after much of the...

Weeds
April 13, 2017 1:03 PM

Two Canadian weed scientists1 recently published a paper ranking their top 10 herbicide-resistant weed management strategies.  The following is my paraphrasing of their list:

10)  Accurate recordkeeping
  9)  Strategic tillage
  8)  Site-specific weed management...

Herbicide Resistance
April 10, 2017 10:27 AM

The primary impact of herbicide resistance for most Iowa farmers has been an increase in expenditures for herbicides.  I decided to do a quick analysis of this by using ISU Extension’s annual Estimated Costs of Crop...

Weeds
March 12, 2017 12:52 PM

Since I inducted the FeXapan advertisement into the Herbicide Ad Hall of Shame for proclaiming to be the answer to resistance, I feel obligated to do the same with TeeJet's recent ad in Wallaces Farmer.  Proper nozzle selection is critical for:  1) minimizing off target movement of the new...

Herbicide Resistance

Pages