As cash crop harvest approaches you may discover that weeds have escaped your control efforts and are setting seeds. These weeds may be very visible, poking their heads above the canopy of the cash crop. When you go to harvest the cash crop, you are at risk of spreading the weed seeds. These escaped weeds will create an even bigger problem next year if they are allowed to add the seeds they have produced back to the soil weed seed bank, or to spread their seeds to new fields by hitching a ride on harvesting equipment. You still have a chance to prevent this from happening.
Scout your fields prior to harvest.
You can scout using drones or other means such as physically walking the fields.
Know where the problem areas are: map them out.
Plan to harvest weed-free areas first and weedy areas last.
Limit the spread of weed seeds through the field and from weedy fields to clean ones. Clean the combine before leaving a field. A single Palmer amaranth plant can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds – planning your harvest strategy and cleaning equipment diligently is well worth the time. Remember: scout, map, and plan prior to harvesting to Get Rid of Weeds!
Video: Claudio Rubione, MSc University of Delaware
Narratives and Edits: Victoria Ackroyd, Post doc, USDA-ARS Beltsville
