Creep Stop: Integrating Biological, Cultural, and Mechanical/Physical Tools for Long-term Suppression of Creeping Perennial Weeds in Northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest Cropping Systems
Project Director
Patrick M. Carr
Year Funded
2018
Award Number
2018-51300-28432
Funded Institution
Montana State University
Grant Program
OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)
USDA NIFA Report
Project Overview
Two creeping perennial weeds – Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) and field bindweed (Convovulus arvensus) – pose severe challenges to organic wheat, lentil, and other grain production in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and Northern Great Plains (NGP). This project aimed to develop improved organic integrated weed management (IWM) for these two weeds, including biological (grazing, mites, pathogens), cultural (crop rotational sequence), and mechanical (mowing, tillage) tactics. Weed populations and their associated soil-root microbiomes were genotyped to evaluate genetic variables in weed response to control tactics.
Farmer Takeaways
(1) Canada thistle and field bindweed spread by seed and by vegetative means (creeping rhizomes). Suppression tactics and organic IWM must target both.
(2) Three years of alfalfa hay reduced perennial weeds as effectively as two years of tilled fallow, but depleted soil moisture and reduced wheat yields in lower-rainfall regions.
(3) The Noble sweep plow weakens creeping perennial weeds by severing shoots, whereas the mixing action of the rototiller replants and propagates bindweed fragments.
(4) Inoculating Canada thistle with thistle rust fungus as one component of the IWM strategy helps to weaken the weed’s growth.
Project Outputs
Integrated Management of Field Bindweed and Canada Thistle in Organic Cropping Systems | eOrganic Webinar
CREEP Stop: Organic Control of Canada Thistle and Field Bindweed in the Northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest Regions | eOrganic Project Homepage
Thistle Rust: A Potential Biocontrol Agent to Help in the Management of Canada Thistle | Montana State University
Bean, D. W., Gladem, K., Rosen, K., Blake, A., Clark, R. E., Henderson, C., Kaltenbach, J., Price, J., Smallwood, E. L., Berner, D. K., Young, S. L., & Schaeffer, R. N. 2024. “Scaling use of the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis for biological control of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.): First report on a U.S. statewide effort.” Biological Control, 192, 105481.
Larson, C. D., Hettinger, K., Carr, P. M., Miller, P. R., Volkman, M., Chichinsky, D., & Seipel, T. 2024. “Tillage and crop sequences for organic Cirsium arvense management in the Northern Great Plains.” Agronomy Journal, 116, 2701–2714.
Gramig, G., Z.A. Pull, and P.M. Carr. 2024. “Diversified crop sequencing for suppression of creeping perennial weeds in organic production systems.” Farming System 2:100070.