Harvest Weed Seed Control
In the May 24 edition of Delta Farm Press Daily, Dr. Ford Baldwin penned an article titled “Harvest Weed Seed Control Promising Against Resistant Weeds“. In this article, Dr. Baldwin gives a brief account of his attendance at the second Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge held in Denver, Colo. Of special interest is his account of Mr. Ray Harrington’s presentation as part of the Global Initiative for Harvest Weed Seed Control (HWSC) Symposium.
Mr. Harrington is the inventor of the Harrington Seed Destructor, a device that is designed to crush/destroy weed seeds that are harvested along with the crop. According to Dr. Baldwin, “The Harrington system is now being integrated into the back of the combine...”.
Dr. Baldwin states that “More research on methods to supplement our herbicide programs is being conducted all the time. The general consensus is the one method that currently has the most promise is HWSC to drive soil seedbank numbers down”.
I encourage you to read the Harvest Weed Seed Control White Paper on this website. The contained summaries of and links to articles about HWSC will provide a more detailed presentation of the concept, how it is being used/tested, and how it can be integrated into herbicide weed control programs. Of special interest will be a Univ. of Arkansas article (FSA2180, 2016) that summarizes the various methods that can be used for weed seed destruction at/after harvest, and a Weed Science Journal article (Weed Science Vol. 64:540-550, 2016) that presents results from HWSC research conducted in Arkansas.
According to Dr. Baldwin, “We must reduce soil seedbank number if we expect to win” the battle against herbicide-resistant weeds. Relying totally on herbicides for effective weed control in Midsouth crops will hasten the spread of resistance and will eliminate the few remaining herbicides that are effective against weeds. This certainly warrants considering HWSC as a tool in this battle.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, May 2017, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net