Glyphosate resistant weed found in Ontario Monday, April 5, 2010 by BRIAN LOCKHART A small patch of giant ragweed in an isolated field in southwestern Ontario came to the attention of research scientists when a local crop farmer’s efforts to eliminate it failed.“This is the first weed that has been confirmed as having a resistance to glyphosate in Canada,” says Dr. Mark Lawton, Monsanto Canada technology research lead for Eastern Canada. But varieties of the weed have already proven to be resistant to the herbicide in the United States, he says.Monsanto, an international agricultural products company, created the glyphosate molecule in the 1970s. It is the active ingredient in Roundup, the company’s systemic, broad-spectrum herbicide as well as in other brand name herbicides. The company has also developed the genetic technology to make certain crops resistant to glyphosate applications. In soybeans alone, Roundup Ready resistance varieties now make up more than 60 per cent of Ontario’s annual crop. Rachelle Byl, horticultural sales specialist at Cardinal Farm Supply in Alliston, says glyphosate represents around 50 per cent of the weed control products they sell to the south central Ontario market.Giant ragweed is native to North America and can reach a height of three metres if left unchecked. In Ontario it is predominantly found in the southwest.“It’s a fairly common weed in corn and soybean growing areas,” says Dr. Peter Sikkema, plant agriculture professor at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus.Sikkema says the farmer contacted the university in the summer of 2008 after noticing he had “poor control with glyphosate.”The university has researched giant ragweed control in corn and soybean production for several years.The discovery of glyphosate resistant plants would be a “significant concern to the individual farmer who has it,” Sikkema says, especially if the aim is to control it in a soybean field.There are good options to control the weed in corn and cereals, such as wheat, he explains: “But in soybeans we really don’t have alternative herbicides that provide effective control to the growers.” Not all giant ragweed will be glyphosate resistant, he adds. “They are different bio-types. One plant will be susceptible and one will be resistant.”University researchers have collected seed samples of the weed from 50 locations in the Essex County area, including the location where the glyphosate resistant type was found. Results from this study will be released in about a month, Sikkema says.Lawton says building diversity into weed management strategy, is a good preventative practice to avoid agronomic challenges. Diversity can be achieved “through several methods including herbicides, tillage, and crop rotation,” he says. BF Environment: Don't forget to test your well water Cover Story - Parental Benefits: windfall for foreign workers?
Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder Friday, September 20, 2024 By Braxteen Breen, Whether you are constructing/repairing fencing and other structures around the farm, you can get those tasks completed on the farm quickly with the Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder. The Spade Bits kit provides an economical solution for someone who wants to make... Read this article online
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online