Linkages Among Agronomic, Environmental and Weed Management Characteristics in North American Sweet Corn

Authors: Williams, Martin; Davis, Adam; RABAEY, TOM - General Mills, Inc; BOERBOOM, CHRIS - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: Field Crops Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/2009
Publication Date: 7/1/2009
Citation: Williams, M.M. II, Davis, A.S., Rabaey, T.L., Boerboom, C.M. 2009. Linkages Among Agronomic, Environmental and Weed Management Characteristics in North American Sweet Corn. Field Crops Research. 113:161-169.

Interpretive Summary: Performance of weed management systems varies greatly across the landscape in both growers’ fields and in experimental trials conducted by agricultural scientists. Using agronomic, environmental, and weed management information from growers’ fields and experimental trials, we identified dominant characteristics that separate more successful weed management systems in sweet corn from less successful ones. We concluded that weed management was improved when weediest fields were planted in June or July, and there was adequate precipitation or irrigation for herbicide activity. We also saw that the northern part of the Midwest sweet corn production region had lower weed interference and fecundity in the crop, and that while particularly weedy fields may be receiving greater herbicide use, these inputs are unlikely to be effective enough to protect yields compared to less-weedy fields with lower weed seedbanks. Several additional characteristics that benefit sweet corn productivity were identified. The impact of this work is that it provides a relatively simple way to predict successfulness of weed management in individual fields in light of regional-scale environmental and management variation.

Technical Abstract: Performance of weed management systems varies greatly across the landscape in both growers’ fields and in experimental trials conducted by agricultural scientists. Using agronomic, environmental, and weed management information from growers’ fields and experimental trials, we identified dominant characteristics that separate more successful weed management systems in sweet corn from less successful ones. We concluded that weed management was improved when weediest fields were planted in June or July, and there was adequate precipitation or irrigation for herbicide activity. We also saw that the northern part of the Midwest sweet corn production region had lower weed interference and fecundity in the crop, and that while particularly weedy fields may be receiving greater herbicide use, these inputs are unlikely to be effective enough to protect yields compared to less-weedy fields with lower weed seedbanks. Several additional characteristics that benefit sweet corn productivity were identified. The impact of this work is that it provides a relatively simple way to predict successfulness of weed management in individual fields in light of regional-scale environmental and management variation.