Research progress on understanding herbicide resistance in Wisconsin giant ragweed
2015
- UW Madison
Project Media
Giant ragweed is one of the most difficult to manage weed species in Midwestern cropping systems due to its biology and competitive ability. Adaptation to a wide range of soil environments, rapid vertical growth, and high biomass production make giant ragweed particularly competitive (Abul-Fatih et al. 1979; Harrison et al. 2007; Webster et al. 1994). An extended germination period characterized by the ability to germinate early and grow rapidly, combined with embryo dormancy that allows for prolonged emergence periods, contributes to the difficulty of managing giant ragweed (Gramig and Stoltenberg 2007; Harrison et al. 2001; Schutte et al. 2012). In Wisconsin, giant ragweed is found in both corn (Fickett et al. 2013a) and soybean (Fickett et al. 2013b) production fields. As the most competitive species relative to other common weed species in corn and soybean cropping systems (Fickett et al. 2013a,b), giant ragweed represents a serious threat to crop yield potential.