Page 41 - 2019 Ag Mag

KMAland 2019 41
PESTS

weeds, insects, fungi and bacterial or viral diseases

Mike Witt-Iowa State Resistant Weeds,
University Extension Field Iowa State University there are worldwide
I sistant to glyphosate
43 weed species re-
Agronomist
Integrated pest man-
herbicides with 3 (Tall
agement is a topic
water hemp, Giant
and a phrase heard
by most people in ag- Ragweed and Horse-
weed) in Iowa.
riculture. It is a term What this means for
that is used for many farmers in Iowa is that
different areas of man- resistance to glypho-
agement and can seem sate in weeds is here
like an impossible task and is present in fields
to tackle. Understand- across the state. Does
ing where to begin this mean all farm-
with integrated pest ers should abandon
management and how pests will try anything environment to previ- the use of glypho-
even small steps can and everything to ous tasks preformed sate as a weed control
make a huge differ- avoid or resist farmers by farmers to attempt method in their fields?
ence on a bottom line practices of remov- to control them. One No. Integrated pest
is essential to adop- al. This resistance of the most recent ex- management and re-
tion by farmers. to farmers practices amples of resistance is sistance means that a
A farmer’s use of in- forms the reason in- the use of glyphosate farmer should realize
tegrated pest manage- tegrated pest manage- herbicides by farm- that the method they
ment can be both vast ment was coined to ers on crops that that are utilizing, glypho-
and small but both describe how farmers contain the resistance sate herbicides, is a
approaches will make can successfully sup- gene. Glyphosate resource that must be
a sizable impact on press these pests in a has been widely used protected and will not
their practices. The way that gives them across the world to be sustainable long
simple fundamental of the best crop but is control weed species term. If a farmer can
integrated pest man- also economically fea- that, unlike certain still go out and get
agement is that farm- sible. genetically modified great weed control on
ers want to eliminate Pests come in the crops, do not have the all fields with just ap-
pests for more profit form of weeds, insects, ability to survive the plications of glypho-
and pests want to sur- fungi and bacterial chemical application. sate they can still use
vive to prosper and or viral diseases. All Currently, according that practice. But not
multiply. This fun- pests have some level to the International all farmers in Iowa to-
damental means that of resistances in the Survey of Herbicide day have that ability.