Take Action Against Waterhemp Now

Waterhemp has become one of the most menacing weeds to plague growers across the Corn Belt.  The recent confirmation of glyphosate-resistant waterhemp in Illinois is another piece of evidence that this problem weed is causing more trouble. 

A new publication called “Biology and Management of Waterhemp,” sponsored by university weed scientists, insists the best way to stop waterhemp from being a problem is to prevent it from having the opportunity to become a problem in the first place.  The following is an excerpt from an article in Wallace’s Farmer:

"We wanted to paint a clear picture of what will happen when weeds develop resistance to glyphosate. We will basically lose all our mode of actions for controlling waterhemp," says Dawn Nordby, University of Illinois. "But there are options out there to prevent this from happening and if farmers want to do something about this problem, they need to do it now."

Because many waterhemp populations are already resistant to one or more modes of action, the addition of glyphosate resistance could be especially detrimental.  When you take away chemical control measures, what options remain are very limited. Researchers have also examined the economic influence of proactive vs. reactive management of potentially resistant waterhemp. They found there is a significant loss when waiting to control waterhemp after it has been determined resistant to glyphosate herbicides as opposed to proactively managing against resistance now. Acting proactively and using glyphosate responsibly will help growers keep waterhemp in check before it gets out of control.