Stop 1 – UGA Weed Science – Culpepper

Contact: Stanley Culpepper, [email protected]

As family farms work tirelessly providing food, feed, and fiber for the world, the need for cutting edge research to support their sustainability is crucial. At the Sunbelt Expo, nearly 10 acres of land is used by the University of Georgia, working closely with the Expo Field Team, to conduct that much needed research focusing on cotton weed management. Controlling weeds in cotton is extremely challenging because of increasing herbicide resistance issues and regulatory restrictions that threaten the future availability of products such as in-crop dicamba, diuron, Cotoran, and MSMA.

During 2024, research identifying future herbicides to improve the control of Palmer amaranth, annual grasses, morning glory, and spiderwort while also minimizing crop injury and maximizing yield and quality accounts for about 75% of the effort, consisting of 8 different replicated experiments.

An additional 3-acre study evaluating the potential for using WeedOut’s (https://www.weedout-ibs.com/) Pollen to create non-viable Palmer amaranth seeds is in its third year of evaluation. Finding and implementing alternatives to herbicides within a systems approach for managing weeds in all crops is essential for long-term sustainability.