Performing Department
Plant Sciences
Non Technical Summary
In the Western US, water available for farming may be restricted in the coming years as result of climate change and increased demand from human development. If this occurs, agricultural practices will need to be adapted, including weed control programs. This project will evaluate how to best integrate different weed control tactics (mechanical, cultural, chemical, etc.) for better weed control on irrigated crops particularly under limited moisture. Research will focus on crops grown in Northwestern Wyoming such as sugarbeet, barley, dry beans, and corn, among others. The challenge is to develop practices that minimize the risk of developing herbicide resistance weeds, promote an efficient use of water, have a minimal environmental impact and are economically viable for producers.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
45%
Applied
45%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal is to maintain or improve the productivity and sustainability of crop rotations in Wyoming, in the face of changes in the amount of water available for farming. The specific objectives of this project are to:Determine the impact of limited moisture on weed control practices for irrigated crops.Evaluate the effects of limited irrigation on biology and ecology of weed populations.Identify and develop viable agronomic and economic alternatives for weed control for irrigated crops grown under water restrictions.
Project Methods
In order to determine the impact of limited moisture on weed control practices, studies need to be conducted where different levels of irrigation can be simultaneously applied to crops grown in experimental plots. For that reason, the project will include field studies to be conducted mainly at the Powell Research and Extension Center. Factors such as herbicide efficacy and breakdown are influenced by environmental conditions. Therefore, daily weather data will be recorded, and soil water content will be monitored and logged by moisture readers during the growing season. Herbicide efficacy will be determined by comparing weed populations (densities, compositions, etc.) from treated and untreated areas. Herbicide dissipation in soil under different moisture regimes will be assessed by periodically collecting soil samples, and samples will be later process in laboratory to determine herbicide concentration in soil. In addition soil samples will be collected at the end of the season to conduct greenhouse bioassays and determine if they can be used to predict herbicide carry over. All planted crops will be harvest at the end of the season and yields will be estimated to determine treatment effects and establish economic impacts of the applied practices. Based on results, larger scale studies will be conducted in cooperator's fields. In these studies different weed control tactics (cultural, mechanical, chemical, etc.) will be evaluated as alternatives for weed control under water limited scenarios for crops grown in rotations in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming.To determine the impacts of limited irrigation on weed populations, species composition and density, time of emergence, etc. will be monitored and recorded during the testing of every weed control practice. In addition, greenhouse and laboratory studies will be conducted when controlled environmental conditions are required to further investigate weed species.Once a weed control program is establish as the best agronomic practice, an economic evaluation will be performed to further determine if the practice is feasible to be used at a farm scale.The project includes an extension component to share and inform progress and findings of the project.