BATTLING PESTS
FIGHTING FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT IN WHEAT
Wheat growers now have an online tool to help guide fungicide application decisions to combat one of the most economically important wheat diseases in Ohio: Fusarium head blight, also called head scab. Using the Fusarium Risk Assessment Tool available at the Fusarium Head Blight Prediction Center (wheatscab.psu.edu), growers can determine the risk for scab and decide whether to use a fungicide to control it.
More: go.osu.edu/scabtool
GAINING ON OHIO'S GIANT RAGWEED
Thanks to Ohio State researchers who are working with a team of investigators from six universities and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, growers are gaining insight into how giant ragweed proliferates and how to manage it. Researchers say growers can help reduce ragweed’s spread by managing its presence in nearby non-crop areas, as well as by using a more diverse rotation of crop species, tillage intensity and herbicide sites of action to increase season-long control and select against herbicide-resistant biotypes.
STOPPING PALMER AMARANTH'S SPREAD
Ohio State weed researchers are helping to stop Palmer amaranth – a major weed in southern states that has entered Ohio – by educating about its identification and management. Farmers are advised to scout their fields for Palmer amaranth and to eradicate the weed before it goes to seed. In addition, producers and dealers are advised to stop importing combines and to stop using cotton-based feed products from Palmer amaranth-infested areas. Lastly, specialists are recommending that growers use free ODA testing of all cover crop seed for the presence of Palmer amaranth seed prior to planting.
More: u.osu.edu/osuweeds