Managing Burcucumber in Corn and Soybean
With harvest winding down, one weed that made harvest more frustrating for some is burcucumber. Consequently, there have been many questions on how to better manage this weed to prevent those frustrations.
With harvest winding down, one weed that made harvest more frustrating for some is burcucumber. Consequently, there have been many questions on how to better manage this weed to prevent those frustrations.
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 landscape and notifying us when they spot something suspicious.
Burcucumber Sicyos angulatus L.
Family: Cucurbitaceae (Gourd family)
Life cycle: Annual
Native status: Native to N. America
Habitat: Crop fields; fencerows; treelines; waste areas
Yesterday, I was asked to help confirm an identification of a few beetles in a cornfield near State Center, Iowa. They ended up being striped and spotted cucumber beetles. Sometimes the striped cucumber beetle can be confused with western corn rootworm; however, it would be unlikely to see adult rootworms in May. Spotted cucumber beetle is also known as southern corn rootworm (I suppose it depends on if you grow corn or pumpkins). These beetles were feeding on giant ragweed and burcucumber, a weed Dr.
Burcucumber and wild cucumber (AKA wild balsam apple) are weedy members of the cucumber family. They are frequently found along river bottoms and other wet areas, and may cause serious problems due to their ability to climb and smother small to medium sized trees. Burcucumber is more likely to move into crop fields than wild cucumber, and it can be a serious problem due to its competitiveness and interference with harvest. While both species are found throughout Iowa, wild cucumber seems to be more prevalent in western Iowa.