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How long do weed seeds live?</

Researchers have found these seeds can survive for years

By Patrick Lynch

Farms.com

 

There are numerous research papers looking at this question. It is hard to do research on this topic. How do you have “natural” conditions? How do you know how many weed seeds were there at the start?

Researchers bury weed seeds or plant them to get an idea. The results showed that annual grass seeds germinated earlier than broadleaf weed seeds. Typically, over 50 per cent of annual grasses germinated in the first year. Bad news is that there were still 4 per cent of grass seeds viable after 17 years.

Annual broadleaf weeds had a similar germination pattern with fewer germinating in the first years and more still viable in the longer term (11 per cent of broadleaf weeds were still viable after 17 years.)

Research from Minnesota showed that there were over 130 million weed seeds/ac. In this study surprisingly wild oats only lived for three to six years but lived longer if buried deeper.


Lamb's quarters
Photo" Manitoba Agriculture

Another study reported that lamb’s quarters can live for 40 years. All of this suggests that we have to go back to “weed free” fields. Especially since we have so many resistant species.

Dow’s new Enlist™ and Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ will help control some already herbicide-resistant species but this resistance will also break down eventually. You have to be conscious of building the weed seed bank. Use of cover crops is the most economical way to reduce some weeds from setting seeds.


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Dr. David Rosero: Fat Quality in Swine Diets

Video: Dr. David Rosero: Fat Quality in Swine Diets

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. David Rosero from Iowa State University explores the critical aspects of fat quality and oxidation in swine diets. He discusses how different types of lipids affect pig performance and provides actionable insights on managing lipid oxidation in feed mills. Don’t miss this episode—available on all major platforms.

Highlight quote: "Increasing levels of oxidized fats in swine diets reduced the efficiency of feed utilization, increased mortality, and led to more pigs being classified as culls, reducing the number of full-value pigs entering the finishing barns."

Meet the guest: Dr. David Rosero / davidrosero is an assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. His research program focuses on conducting applied research on swine nutrition and the practical application of smart farming. He previously served as the technical officer for The Hanor Company, overseeing nutrition, research, and innovation efforts.