Diversity and Integration To Preserve Conservation Tillage

Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia, Tifton

Topics of Discussion

Changes in cotton production

Efforts to convert average cotton grower to heavy residue

Will the cotton farmer survive resistance

Total grower (n = 65) acres = 129,615 (12.6% of GA cotton)

Total agent county (n = 10) acres = 246,034 (24% of GA cotton)

Palmer Changes Agriculture Forever

Most troublesome weed

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Perc

ent (

%) o

f age

nts s

urve

yed

2000-2005

2006-2010

Changes in Herbicide Management2002: $24/A 2010: $63/A

Roundup Burndown

Roundup POST 1

Roundup POST 2

Roundup + diuron PD

Roundup + Valor Burndown1

Gramoxone + Reflex + Direx PRE

Roundup + Staple POST 1

Roundup + Dual POST 2

Direx + MSMA PD

Photo by A.C. York 2010

2000-2005: 17% of growers hand-weeded 5% cotton acres at $2.40/A

2006-2010: 92% of growers hand-weeded 52% cotton acres at $23.70/A

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

129,125

394,100

36,100

Not Chopped

Chopped at 6 inch

Chopped at 1 inch

Palmer Seed (#/plant) When Chopping Plants at Cotton Layby.

Chopped at soil

22,400

2010/2011: Sosnoskie/Grey/Webster/Culpepper

Changes in tillage/planting practices from 2000-2005 to 2006-2010

28.0

21.4

36.3 35.2 36.1

43.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

2000-2005 2006-2010 2000-2005 2006-2010 2000-2005 2006-2010

Strip into weeds Strip into cover crops Conventional

Perc

ent (

%) o

f acr

es

Tillage used by Georgia cotton growers

0

20

40

60

80

100

256,075 acres (25.9%)

264,266 acres (26.7%)

Deep turning (last 3

years)

Incorporation of herbicides with tillage

(2010)

%

Most Palmer amaranth emerges from top inch

Staple + Reflex + Direx PRE

Roundup WMax + Parrlay POST

Direx + MSMA Layby

Weeds Deep Tillage

Palmer amaranth response to deep tillage. Macon County, GA.

Tillage in Cotton During 2010%PPI

tillage GA Counties#

0 0

1-9 Worth, Pulaski, Tift, Berrien, Echols, Turner, Brooks, Pierce,

Marion, Grady,

10

10-19 Emanual, Montgomery, Atkins, Coffee, Lowndes, Dooly, Wilcox,

Thomas, Crisp, Schley, Webster, Colquitt

11

20-29 Bullock, Jefferson, Treutlen, Wheeler, Daugherty 5

30-50 Effingham, Telfair, Tattnall, Dodge, Toombs, Jeff Davis, Bleckly,

Early, Lanier, Irwin, Lee, Macon

13

>50 Jenkins, Johnson, Washington, Screven, Wayne, Laurens, Randolf,

Decatur, Seminole, Miller, Taylor Ben Hill

12

Palmer requires a significant amount of sunlight to emerge!!

Potential Benefits for Georgia Growers

1. Improved Palmer control

2. Protect herbicide chemistry

3. Labor (compared to tillage)

4. Wind and water erosion

5. Prevents GR horseweed

6. Prevents/Lessons GR ryegrass

7. Moisture conservation

8. Reduce herbicide inputs

9. Higher yields on dryland

10. Protection from EPA

11. Reduces thrips damage

Staple + Reflex + Direx PRE

Roundup WMax + Parrlay POST

Direx + MSMA Layby

Weeds Rye cover

Palmer amaranth response to cover crops. Macon County, GA. 2009.

Staple + Reflex + Direx PRE

Roundup WMax + Parrlay POST

Direx + MSMA Layby

Weeds

Palmer amaranth response to deep tillage and cover crops. Macon County, GA. 2009.

Deep tillage

Rye cover crop

GR Palmer amaranth influence on cotton lint yield (lb/A) in the Roundup system.*

0

200

400

600

800

592 c690 b

Weeds

*RR System: Diuron + Reflex + Staple fb Roundup + Parrlay fb Direx + MSMA

Inversion + rye

Deep inversion

790 a

Rye

480 d

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

Percent Palmer Amaranth Control with Reflex 1 pt/A PPI or PRE in 2010.

99 A

79 B

98 A

Irrigated Dryland

Reflex: Soil moist at planting; rainfall 13 DAT.

PPIPRE

0

20

40

60

80

100

72 b

60 c

91 a

PPI PRE Split

Percent Palmer Control with Reflex + Prowl PPI, PRE, Split 2011. 28 DAT.

Injury = 5% Injury = 5%Injury = 15%

Reflex 1 pt + Prowl H20 2 pt

0

20

40

60

80

100

80 b92 a

3 c

Rototiller Field cultivator

Disk

Percent Palmer Control with Reflex + Prowl PPI, 2010. TyTy, GA. 38 DAT.

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

No herbicide Herbicide

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

57245575

5664

60 lb rye

No N

Rye Biomass (lb/A) at time of cotton Planting on May 13, 2011.

60 lb rye

30 unit N

90 lb rye

No N

90 lb rye

30 unit N

5560

PLANTED Nov 3

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

3166

2162

3001

60 lb rye

No N

Rye Biomass (lb/A) at time of cotton Planting on May 13, 2011.

60 lb rye

30 unit N

90 lb rye

No N

90 lb rye

30 unit N

2519

PLANTED DEC 22

Potential Challenges for Georgia Growers

1. Blowout impacting stand

2. Incorporate herbicides with when strip tilling

3. Spray then roll, roll then spray?

4. Time to get established

5. Increased fertilizer

6. Rubber wheel system

7. Grower comfort

Developing An Herbicide-Resistant Weed Management Plan

Eric P. Prostko, Ph.D.

Professor and Extension Weed Specialist

Dept. Crop & Soil Sciences

Herbicide-resistance is not a new phenomenon!Its been happening since 1968!

Source: International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds (http://www.weedscience.org/In.asp)

Evolution of Herbicide Resistant Weeds

Repeated applications of herbicides with same site of action (i.e. selection pressure)

Annual weeds that…… occur in high populations are widely distributed are prolific seed producers have efficient gene (seed or pollen)

dissemination competitive growth

PPO Herbicides

• Resistance has already been reported in other areas!!!

• Amaranthus quitensis– 2005 (Bolivia)

• Common waterhemp– 2001 (Kansas)– 2002 (Illinois)– 2005 (Missouri)– 2009 (Iowa)

• Common ragweed– 2005 (Delaware)– 2006 (Ohio)

• Wild poinsettia– 2004 (Brazil)

Liberty

• Abuse of Liberty– LL cotton, corn, soybeans

– PHY WRF cotton

– may jeopardize future technologies (DHT, Dicamba)

• Current resistances– Italian ryegrass (Oregon)

– Goosegrass (Malaysia)

0

20

40

2004 2009 2011

37

18

% a

cres

Liberty-based Programs

0

Impact of GR Palmer amaranth on GA.

1.5 pt of 2,4-D Liberty + 1.5 pt of 2,4-D

Clarity 8 oz Liberty + Clarity 8 oz

HPPD Liberty + HPPD

Herbicide Resistance: Will You Survive?

If resistance is one in a billion then you

only need 918 acres to find that plant.

(historically resistance is 1 plant in population of 1-10 million…9.18 acres)

25 plants per square foot emerge = 1,089,000 plants

per acre

How do we save Liberty and the family farm????

• Significant pressure on Bayer…….prevent known repetitive abusers from being able to purchase Liberty??

• Bayer/Monsanto/Dow should unite!!!!

• Growers/Industry/Distributors/Dealers/Extension unite!!

• Regulate????

NO DOUBT THE MOST SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM IN THERMS OF HERBICIDE RESISTANCE