Narrow-windrow burning to control seeds of Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne ssp. multiflorum) in wheat and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in soybean

Abstract

AbstractNarrow-windrow burning (NWB) is a form of harvest weed seed control in which crop residues and weed seeds collected by the combine are concentrated into windrows and subsequently burned. The objectives of this study were to determine how NWB will 1) affect seed survival of Italian ryegrass in wheat and Palmer amaranth in soybean and 2) determine whether a relationship exists between NWB heat index (HI; the sum of temperatures above ambient) or effective burn time (EBT; the cumulative number of seconds temperatures exceed 200 C) and the post-NWB seed survival of both species. Average soybean and wheat windrow HI totaled 140,725 ± 14,370 and 66,196 ± 6224 C, and 259 ± 27 and 116 ± 12 s of EBT, respectively. Pre-NWB versus post-NWB germinability testing revealed an estimated seed kill rate of 79.7% for Italian ryegrass, and 86.3% for Palmer amaranth. Non-linear two-parameter exponential regressions between seed kill and HI or EBT indicated NWB at an HI of 146,000 C and 277 s of EBT potentially kills 99% of Palmer amaranth seed. Seventy-six percent of soybean windrow burning events resulted in estimated Palmer amaranth seed kill rates greater than 85%. Predicted Italian ryegrass seed kill was greater than 97% in all but two wheat NWB events; therefore, relationships were not calculated. These results validate the effectiveness of the ability of NWB to reduce seed survival, thereby improving weed management and combating herbicide resistance.