Controlling Scentless Chamomile with Herbicides

Scentless chamomile has a reputation for being difficult to control and a 2019 on-farm research trial evaluated several herbicide treatments. Although 10 treatments provided over 80% visual control of emerged plants, new seedlings continued to emerge several weeks after application resulting in a significant amount of plants at the end of August. In order to significantly reduce the population of this species in a field, one will have to manage new seedlings that emerge in the spring (prior to planting), summer (in-crop) and fall (post-harvest). Failure to manage summer and fall emerged plants increases the likelihood that they develop as biennials or perennials, and as such, become more difficult to control.

 

Biology: Emergence of seedling plants in Ontario has been observed to occur from April through to October, with the greatest amount of seedling emergence occurring in October. Whether emerged plants will express an annual, biennial or short-lived perennial life cycle will depend on when the species germinated. Seedlings that emerged in April to June often developed as annuals, while seedlings that emerged after June typical develop as biennials or short-lived perennials.

 

Longevity of viable seed: the seed appears to maintain a high level of viability within 4 years of dispersal but is significantly reduced after 10 years. This background knowledge is important because biennial and short-lived perennial plants are much more difficult to take-out with herbicides since they are anchored with a dense mass of fibrous roots and unless the applied herbicide can control the top-growth and translocate to, and kill the entire root mass, the plant will grow back. Seedlings, by comparison, are much more susceptible to herbicides.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.