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Palmer amaranth continues to spread in Nebraska

The problematic weed Palmer amaranth continues to spread in Nebraska.

“Palmer amaranth is a growing threat for our corn and soybean producers in the state of Nebraska, particularly in eastern and west-central parts of the state,” says Amit Jhala, Extension weed specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “We are seeing a lot more Palmer compared with what it used to be before three or four years ago.”

Palmer amaranth is a very aggressive weed that has developed resistance to several groups of herbicides, including glyphosate. University of Illinois weed scientist Aaron Hager says failure to control Palmer can be devastating.

“It’s a species that, in other parts of the U.S., when people really haven’t taken it seriously or have let it go too long and let it become too established, it’s literally put people out of business—because it reaches a point where you have fields that simply aren’t farmable anymore,” Hager says.

We spoke with Jhala and Hager Wednesday at a glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth field day near Carleton, Nebraska.

AUDIO: Amit Jhala

 

AUDIO: Aaron Hager