This project proposes to conduct research into soybean weed management,
primarily focusing on herbicide resistant weeds through three objectives (1)
Herbicide evaluations will be conducted leading to updates in the Virginia
Cooperative Extension Pest Management Guide, use in extension presentations,
and in online media, (2) examine Palmer amaranth emergence and growth rate
following winter fallow versus a cereal rye cover crop planted both “brown” and
“green”. These metrics will be used to evaluated simulated herbicide programs,
with the goal of reducing herbicide input costs in the form of fewer spray passes
or less herbicide in each pass. (3) Lastly, our on-farm testing of seed impact mills
indicates that chaff moisture can be a limiting factor in their operation. High
moisture can cause plugging of the mill or excessive horsepower consumption.
Virginia Tech with the support of iHSD and Redekop was able to obtain
stationary test stands of each mill. We will use these test stands to determine the
relationship of horsepower consumption with chaff moisture as well as moisture
levels at which mills had issues.
This multi-faceted approach to furthering weed management in Virginia through
chemical and nonchemical means is expected to improve weed management
and soybean yield outcomes. Research findings will be widely disseminated in
Virginia and beyond through electronic, written, and in-person communications.

Objective 1 Continue to evaluate herbicides for weed control in soybean.
Objective 2 Potential for reduced herbicide input costs using a cereal rye cover
crop and planting green vs. brown.
Objective 3 Evaluation of chaff moisture in relation to seed impact mill operation

Farmer/practitioner audience- Data generated will be used to annually update the
Virginia Pest Management Guide Field Crops
(https//www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/456/456-016/456-016.html) and the Mid-Atlantic
Field Crop Weed Management Guide (https//extension.psu.edu/mid-atlantic-field-crop-weed-management-guide) as well as delivered to stakeholders through Extension presentations throughout Virginia. Dr. Flessner delivers over
30 presentations to producers, agronomists, industry groups, and other
stakeholders every year, in addition to site visits and personal communications.
Twitter (https//twitter.com/VTAgWeeds), Dr. Flessner’s lab website
(https//agweedsci.spes.vt.edu/), and GROW’s (Getting Rid of Weeds) website
(https//growiwm.org/) will also be used to disseminate findings.
Academic/research audience- As appropriate, research will be presented at the
Northeastern Weed Science Society, Southern Weed Science Society, Weed
Science Society of America, or similar annual conferences. Peer reviewed
publications will be generated as appropriate and submitted to Weed
Technology, Crop Science, or similar journals.
A report to the Virginia Soybean Board will be delivered. A summarized report
will be posted to Dr. Flessner’s website (https//agweedsci.spes.vt.edu/).