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Projects & Results

The Prairie Weed Monitoring Network: Building a Strong Biovigilance Foundation

Project Details

Lead Researcher(s)

Dr. Charles Geddes

Co-Researcher(s)

Dr. Julia Leeson, Dr. Shaun Sharpe, Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill, Dr. Breanne Tidemann, Dr. Robert Gulden, Kim Brown-Livingston, Dilshan Benaragama, Dr. Chris Nesser, Dr. Sheldon Hann, Dr. Zhenyi Li, Dr. Chris Willenborg, Erl Svendsen

Funding Partners

AAFC, Alberta Grains, MCA, MCGA, Manitoba Pulse & Soybeans, POGA, SaskCanola, SaskPulse, SWDC

April 2023 - March 2028

Ongoing

The Challenge

Recent 2014-2017 estimates suggest that 59% of fields in the Canadian prairies are infested with at least one herbicide-resistant weed biotype, and that herbicide resistance costs prairie farmers an estimated $530 million annually in reduced crop yield, quality, and increased cost of weed control1.

1 Beckie, H.J. et al. 2019. Herbicide-resistant weeds in the Canadian prairies: 2012 to 2017. Weed Technol. 34:461-474.

The Project

Develop the Prairie Weed Monitoring Network (PWMN) and implement a comprehensive weed biovigilance strategy for the prairie region of Canada, including weed monitoring, risk assessment, and forecasting.

The Results

This section will be updated upon completion of the project.

Grower Benefits

This coordinated suite of objectives will provide farmers with information required to manage weeds effectively, anticipate new weed threats to farming systems, and mitigate selection pressure for herbicide resistant weeds.

Keywords:

Herbicide resistance, HR, Surveillance, PWMN, Herbicide-resistant weed biotype