By Audra Koscik
Members from the WiscWeeds lab stand in front of one of the donated growth chambers. From left to right: Rodrigo Werle, Felipe Faleco, Ahmadreza Mobli.
Recently, the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB) and the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association (WCGA) generously donated two plant growth chambers (Conviron PGR15) to the WiscWeeds lab, a research and Extension program led by Dr. Rodrigo Werle in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Division of Extension.
Plant growth chambers are an essential part of researching weed management. Weeds such as giant ragweed and waterhemp can resist herbicides. However, the way a herbicide is applied and the environment it’s used in can significantly impact its efficacy. Growth chambers can precisely control environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and light. Researchers can use these chambers to find the most effective herbicide application techniques in particular environments.
Understanding herbicide efficacy is important for Wisconsin farmers and their service providers. Wisconsin farmers grow 6 million acres of corn and soybean annually. Farmers apply herbicide to over 95% of those acres. However, herbicide-resistant weeds and extreme weather conditions challenge these cropping systems.
This conundrum is well-known to organizations such as WSMB and WCGA.
WSMB is an elected, farmer-led board that invests in research, market development, and education to increase soybean farmer profitability. WSMB educates on topics such as biodiesel and shares resources for soybean farmers.
WCGA is a grass-roots organization that supports the profitability of corn production through research, policy, and market development. The group also shares resources on topics ranging from creating clean water to ethanol production and use.
Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) pictured growing in one of the donated plant growth chambers.
Recently, WSMB and WCGA each donated a growth chamber to the WiscWeeds lab. The two new growth chambers are advanced and allow researchers to control factors such as light, temperature, and CO2. The new growth chambers also increase the amount of controlled environment research the WiscWeeds team can conduct.
The WiscWeeds team will use these growth chambers to study many topics such as weed seed germination ecology, weed growth and phenology, and weed response to chemical weed control under various environmental conditions.
This work aligns with WiscWeeds’ mission to study and share knowledge on traditional and agroecologically-based approaches to weed management in corn, soybean, and small grains in Wisconsin farm systems. WSMB and WCGA’s generous donation will significantly help the WiscWeeds lab expand and expedite their research.
The WiscWeeds lab extends its gratitude to Mr. Ben Erdman, UW-Madison CALS Greenhouse Superintendent, and his team for their invaluable assistance in securing a home for the new growth chambers, as well as their support with installation, setup, and ongoing maintenance.