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USDA / Agricultural Research Service

Invasive Weed Management Unit

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Vegetable/Specialty Crops

 

Production of vegetables and other specialty crops, a major industry in the Midwest and one-half the value of U.S. agriculture, struggles from lack of cost-effective weed management.  Funding for weed research in specialty crops has been disproportionally small relative to major agronomic crops. The IWMU is the only USDA lab in the Midwest charged with solving weed problems in vegetable crops. 

 

 

·  IWMU research, in collaboration with UI, provided a solution to the herbicide sensitivity problem plaguing the global sweet corn industry for over 20 years.  Results are widely used by seed and herbicide industries to improve crop tolerance to modern environmentally friendly herbicides.

 

· IWMU research has identified sweet corn cultivar characteristics that suppress weed growth and interference with crop yield. Success in sweet corn has recently led to at least one program breeding for hybrids more competitive with weeds.

 

· IWMU research is determining how cultural weed management tactics can be used to bolster the crop's competitive edge, such as through the use of mechanical cultivation, planting dates, and soil amendments.