Weed Control Home Page

Weeds must be contended with yearly for Tennessee row crop agriculture to be successful.  The primary weeds that many Tennessee farmers often site as the most troublesome are horseweed (sometimes referred to as marestail), broadleaf signalgrass and the pigweed complex, particularly Palmer amaranth.  Many other weeds are major pests in Tennessee including spiny amaranth, crabgrass, Johnsongrass, cocklebur, wild cotton, spotted spurge, giant ragweed, and the morningglory complex.

Tennessee farmers employ many different methods to manage weeds.  Tillage, cultivation, crop planting date, row width and herbicides are all used to help manage weeds.  Since the late 1990s glyphosate resistant soybeans and cotton have been used extensively.  This technology allows the use of a very effective broad spectrum herbicide for weed control across a range of cropping systems.  In 2004 soil applied herbicides used before crop emergence have been used more by farmers to help manage horseweed and pigweeds.  In addition, there has been an increase in the number of tillage acres this year in Tennessee to help manage the biotype of horseweed that has become glyphosate resistant.  This website is designed to bring up to date information on weed management.

Interactive Encyclopedia of North American Weeds Now available from theSouthern Weed Science Society

Update on Glyphosate Tolerant Pigweed

Sencor Tolerant Wheat Varieties

This weed control website is maintained by Larry Steckel (Assistant Professor, Plant Sciences Department).