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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #192007
Title: DEMOGRAPHY AND DISTRIBUTION OF TROUBLESOME DAYFLOWERS

Author
item BURTON, M - NC STATE UNIVERSITY
item YORK, A - NC STATE UNIVERSITY
item Webster, Theodore
item PROSTKO, E - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2006
Publication Date: 5/1/2006
Citation: Burton, M.G., York, A.C., Webster, T.M., Prostko, E.P. 2006. Demography and distribution of troublesome dayflowers. In: Proceedings of the 2006 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, January 3-6, 2006, San Antonio, Texas. p. 2226-2227.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There are four species of the Commelinaceae (dayflower) family that have raised concern due to their weedy potential: doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora), spreading dayflower (Commelina diffusa), Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis), and tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis). Each demonstrates some tolerance to glyphosate. Doveweed is a weed of turfgrass, but in recent years it has invaded agronomic lands. Studies indicated that it emerged from mid-June through September, but had little effect on cotton yield. Doveweed is often confused with Marsh dayflower (Murdannia keisak), a perennial that requires wet conditions and is not known as an agronomic weed. Spreading dayflower has a sprawling growth habit, but will grow upright in a crop canopy. Among these four species, spreading dayflower is the only species believed to be native to the USA. Asiatic dayflower has received notice as a “weed to watch” in Iowa. Asiatic dayflower is usually noticed because of its large, bright blue flower petals. Its growth habit is upright and its habitat is usually ditch banks, field and wood margins. Although it is currently the least widely distributed of the four species, tropical spiderwort is the most troublesome to agricultural production in the Southeastern USA, especially Georgia. A free guide to distinguishing between the three most commonly confused weedy members of the dayflower family is available at www.nctropicalspiderwort.com (entitled “A New Weed to North Carolina”).