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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Global Change and Photosynthesis Research » Research » Research Project #436441

Research Project: Causal Factors of Weed Control Failure in U.S. Vegetable Legume Production Systems

Location: Global Change and Photosynthesis Research

Project Number: 5012-12220-010-007-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 1, 2019
End Date: May 31, 2022

Objective:
The goal of this project is to identify causal factors of weed control failure in U.S. vegetable processing legumes. The objective is to determine the scope and complexity of weed problems in snap bean and lima bean.

Approach:
Weed, crop, and field history surveys of snap bean and lima bean production fields will be conducted in the primary U.S. production regions of the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Within each production region, a minimum of 30 fields per crop per year will be surveyed at the time of harvest. Within each field, 30 1-m2 quadrats will be used along a 500m 'W' transect through the field, avoiding 20m near field edges. Within quadrats, species presence, density, and height will be recorded. Outside quadrats, records will be made of other species observed. Species producing apparently viable seed will be recorded. Records also will be made of crop stand, overall crop condition, and overall weed load. Field information obtained from processors will include state, county, latitude/longitude, acreage, water supply, previous crop, cultivar, maturity, planting date, preplant tillage, interrow cultivation, stand, PRE herbicides/rates, POST herbicides/rates, hand weeding dates, harvest date, and yield. Fields passed over by the processor for harvest, due to excessive weed infestation levels, will be identified.