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Tag Archives kochia

You might as well call it a tree. This is a Palmer amaranth weed discovered by an agronomist near the southern Manitoba community of Carman. This monster weed can grow up to seven or eight feet tall in crop and even taller and wider when allowed to grow without any competition.
Crops, Features

Look out for strange weeds this year

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Last year’s hot, dry growing season could have yet another unwanted gift for Prairie farmers — weed species where they’ve never seen them before. A leading weed researcher says last year’s conditions — characterized by long-term drought, extremely hot weather and variable, untimely rains — have created a perfect storm for the expansion of some […] Read more
Tim Nerbas of NRG Farms in northwest Saskatchewan, says he usually does a bit of both pre- and post-harvest treatments on about 4,000 acres of crops, which include wheat, oats, barley, canola, flax and faba beans.
Crops, Features

The best fit for pre- or post-harvest treatments

With erratic growing season conditions producers need to be flexible with fall weed control plans

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Farmers Owen Orsak and Tim Nerbas hadn’t got the 2022 crop in the ground yet when they were asked in early May about their fall weed control plans, but the Manitoba and Saskatchewan producers, respectively, say they will apply desiccation and weed control measures on their farms this year depending on weed growth and harvest […] Read more
In Alberta, kochia patches could form in new parts of the field or neighbouring fields where tumbleweeds may have blown, says AAFC’s Shaun Sharpe. Approaches and compacted areas may also be potential areas of invasion and spread as well as along roadsides, grid roads and field margins and around sloughs. Weed specialist Clark Brenzil highly recommends preventing the growth of kochia by planting perennial forages in ditches and even in saline (or otherwise non-productive) areas in fields.
Crops, Features

Weed issues to watch in 2022

How different factors, such as moisture, temperature, herbicide resistance and others, may affect weed populations this year

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After a series of dry years on the Prairies — with 2021 being driest of all — the provincial weed outlook for 2022 is varied across Western Canada and field to field. From kochia invading new territory to a possible increase of overwintering weeds — such as later-emerging false cleavers, Canada thistle, shepherd’s purse and […] Read more
Kochia isn’t fussy about where it grows and can flourish in almost any conditions.
Crops, Features

Keep kochia off your farm

Why kochia is one of Western Canada’s most problematic weeds, plus how to knock herbicide resistance on the head or prevent its development in the first place

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Prairie farmers are well known for their hospitality but there’s one visitor they want nothing to do with — kochia. Kochia has become one of the most problematic weeds in Western Canada. A single kochia plant can produce up to 25,000 seeds and can achieve a germination rate of 60 per cent or higher depending […] Read more
Waterhemp.
Crops, Features

Watch for expansion of waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and kochia in 2020

Serious weed threats continue to advance and grow, farmers urged to test for resistance

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For growers in Manitoba, waterhemp is a serious threat in 2020, reports Tammy Jones, a Manitoba Agriculture weed specialist. This weed was present last year in both eastern and central Manitoba, and Jones’ “biggest fear” is that more will be found in the province this year. And, as reported by Canola Council of Canada (CCC), […] Read more
The kochia plant here being pollinated by this bee could well be resistant to glyphosate.
Crops, News

Get back to basics to fight kochia

Using multiple and rotating modes of action can reduce selection pressure

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In recent years, kochia has become a real issue across the Prairies. Kochia loves hot, dry weather, and as a prolific seed producer, the tumbleweed-shaped weed can spread quickly. What’s worse, kochia has a growing history of resistance, which can make it a tricky weed to manage. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Charles Geddes […] Read more
The relatively dry spring and hot dry summer were extremely favourable to kochia in Western Canada.
Crops, Features

Herbicide diversity tackles kochia

As the weed works hard to outmanoeuvre chemicals, farmers expand the toolbox

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Joe Wurz takes kochia control seriously. The southern Alberta farmer at the Lathom Hutterite Colony takes all weeds seriously, but a few years ago when he observed some healthy-looking kochia plants standing in a patch of dead kochia on farm fields near Brooks — all had been sprayed with glyphosate — he suspected herbicide tolerance […] Read more
Kochia in a wheat field.
Crops, Features

Have your kochia tested for resistance

Keeping this weed in check required a multi-pronged management approach

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Western Canada has a kochia problem. It’s probably because kochia can tolerate things such as drought or salinity better than most crops; which allows it to proliferate in many areas of fields where the crop is less competitive. Kochia is one of the first weeds to emerge in spring and continues to grow until the […] Read more
Kochia not confirmed ‘triple resistant’ — yet
Crops, Features

Kochia not confirmed ‘triple resistant’ — yet

Producers should take action against kochia based on threat severity

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Triple-resistant” kochia — kochia resistant to herbicides in Groups 2, 4 and 9 — hasn’t yet been confirmed in Alberta despite recent media reports, says Hugh Beckie, a weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Surveys have turned up two-way resistant kochia, specifically Group 2 plus Group 4, and Group 2 plus Group 9 resistant weeds, but […] Read more
Once you suspect resistance, sending the seed for testing can confirm or allay your fears.
Crops, Features

Are there resistant weeds in your fields?

The answer to this question is probably yes. Testing can give you a definite answer

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Every season more farmers face the challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds. “Herbicide resistance is the genetic capacity of a weed population to survive a herbicide treatment that, under normal use conditions, would effectively control that weed population,” said Dr. Jeanette Gaultier, weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. It’s sometimes described as evolution happening at an accelerated pace […] Read more

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