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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #206976

Title: A Visual Guide to Help Producers Manage Jointed Goatgrass

Author
item Anderson, Randal

Submitted to: Weed Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/10/2007
Publication Date: 3/25/2007
Citation: Anderson, R.L. 2007. A visual guide to help producers manage jointed goatgrass. Weed Technology. 21:275-278.

Interpretive Summary: Jointed goatgrass infests winter wheat throughout the western United States. Presence of jointed goatgrass in wheat grain reduces the quality of flour along with the economic value of grain. Herbicides are a limited option because jointed goatgrass is a genetic ancestor of winter wheat. Thus, a national program was established to guide research across the U.S. towards developing management systems based on cultural tactics and population dynamics. Long-term studies sponsored by the national program have shown that jointed goatgrass can be successfully managed in winter wheat if management includes tactics designed to disrupt population growth during several intervals of the life cycle of jointed goatgrass. To help producers plan management systems based on this approach, we developed a visual guide that arranges cultural tactics that suppress jointed goatgrass by decision times of the producer. Jointed goatgrass can be minimized in winter wheat if management includes cultural tactics from three decision times.

Technical Abstract: Jointed goatgrass is a prominent weed infesting winter wheat in the western United States. Individual control tactics often are ineffective and inconsistent, but management systems comprised of several tactics designed to disrupt population dynamics of jointed goatgrass can reduce infestation levels in winter wheat. Tactics are planned to favor decline of seedbank density, reduce seedling emergence in winter wheat, and minimize seed production of plants established in winter wheat. We describe a visual guide that will help producers plan management systems for jointed goatgrass with a diversity of cultural tactics. The guide organizes cultural tactics by decision times of producers during the winter wheat production cycle. Scientists are effectively managing jointed goatgrass in a diversity of production systems by integrating cultural tactics across decision times.