People:
Dr. Bill Johnson
Associate Professor of Weed Science
Purdue University
Botany and Plant Pathology, Lilly Hall
915 West State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
Office: Lilly 1-361
Phone: (765) 494-4656
FAX: (765) 494-0363
E-mail: wgj@purdue.edu
Area: Biology and management of herbicide resistant weeds, weed management in no-till systems, winter annual weed management and interactions with SCN, weed management and N accumulation by weeds in glyphosate-resistant corn
Dr. Bryan Young
Associate Professor of Weed Science
Purdue University
Botany and Plant Pathology, Lilly Hall
915 West
State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
Office: Lilly 1-347
Phone: (765) 496-1646
FAX: (765) 494-0363
E-mail:
BryanYoung@purdue.edu
Area: Weed biology and ecology relative to developing effective management strategies in agronomic crops, herbicide application technologies for optimization and stewardship of herbicide use, and the physiological characterization of herbicide-resistant weed biotypes.
Travis
Legleiter
Weed Science Professional Assistant
Purdue University
Botany and Plant Pathology, Lilly Hall
915 West
State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
Office: Lilly 1-349
Phone: (765) 496-2121
FAX: (765) 494-0363
E-mail:
tlegleit@purdue.edu
Program Description:
The estimated average monetary loss caused by weeds in field crops grown in
the U.S. is over 4 billion dollars each year. Weed management expenses are one
of the largest variable costs incurred by growers annually. Weeds growing on
cropland are like crop plants themselves, drawing upon the soil and air for
essential elements. Unfortunately, weeds obtain essential elements at the
expense of adjacent crop plants. The result of inadequate weed control is a
reduction of crop yield and quality. Traditionally, weed management practices
have included preventative, cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical
tactics. However, with the rapid increase in the number of effective herbicides
in the 1960-1990's, weed management techniques have become more reliant on
herbicides in the last 20 years. In any biological system, strong dependence on
any single tactic results in selection pressure for species (weeds, insects,
and/or diseases) which can exploit the niche left by the single tactic. As a
result of overdependence on herbicides, the number of herbicide-resistant weeds
has grown from less than 10 in the 1960's to over 200 in 2002. Additionally,
there are over 1000 non-indigenous plant species which can potentially infest
crop production systems if given the opportunity. Therefore, production of food
for humans and livestock and the economic well being of Indiana farmers depends
heavily on effective, integrated management of weeds and other plant pests.
Weed Science Extension Program Objectives
1. Develop weed management systems that are economically and environmentally
sound, integrate cultural practices with judicious herbicide use, improve
efficiency of production, and minimize selection pressure for
herbicide-resistant weeds.
2. Promote grower acceptance of these weed management systems through
education efforts targeting growers, crop consultants, input suppliers, industry
representatives and extension educators in Indiana and surrounding states.