Early Weed ID Key to Protecting Yields

Weeds are a big yield robber, and early detection is all-important, but equally important is identification. University of Minnesota Regional Extension Educator Eric Yu says early, accurate identification is the first step toward reducing yield loss. “We really want to make sure that growers are able to identify weed seedlings as they come up early because that’s when the herbicides are most effective.” However, it can be more difficult to identify small weeds since there isn’t a mature leaf with identifying markers. At the Best of the Best in Wheat and Soybean Research meeting, Yu cited the use of the PictureThis plant identifier phone app as an option.