AGRONOMY 479
WEED CONTROL
Fall 2012
I. General Information
AGRN 479G (Weed Control) is a 3 credit hour course, focusing on identification of weeds; principles of
cultural, biological and chemical control with emphasis on characteristics of herbicides.
Lecture:
Laboratory:
MW 2:00-2:50 p.m., Knoblauch 226
TH 1:00-2:50 p.m., Knoblauch 226 or AFL – Agronomy Unit
Prerequisites:
AGRN 373 – Integrated Pest Management
Instructor:
Dr. Mark Bernards
227 Knoblauch Hall
Tele: 309-298-1569
Email: ml-bernards@wiu.edu
Office Hours:
M 1:00-1:50 p.m.; W 11:00-11:50 a.m, F 8:00-9:50 a.m. or by appointment
Required Texts:
Ross, M.A. and C.A. Lembi. 2009. Applied Weed Science – Including the Ecology and Management of
Invasive Plants. Pearson-Prentice Hill, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Bryson, C.T. and M.S. DeFelice. 2010. Weeds of the Midwestern United States and Central Canada.
University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. (currently $24.70 at Amazon.com)
Bradley, K.W., B. Johnson, R. Smeda, and C. Boerboom. 2009. Practical Weed Science for the Field
Scout. University of Missouri Extension, Columbia, MO. ($3.00 from University of Missouri
Extension).
II. University Policies and Expectations (Fine print up front)
Student rights and responsibilities: A complete description is available at
www.wiu.edu/provost/students.
Academic Integrity (http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php): Western Illinois University, like all
communities, functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust.
. . It is the student's responsibility to be informed and to abide by all University regulations and policies
on Academic Integrity. Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty (fabrication,
falsification, complicity in academic dishonesty, etc) constitute a serious violation of University conduct
regulations. . . Any student, faculty member, or staff person who has witnessed an apparent act of student
academic dishonesty, or has information that reasonably leads to the conclusion that such an act has
occurred or has been attempted, has an ethical responsibility for reporting said act(s).
The policy for AGRN 176: Any confirmed act of academic dishonesty (especially plagiarism or cheating)
will result in an “F” for the course.
Non-Discrimination (http://www.wiu.edu/policies/affirmact.php): Western Illinois University is
committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment for its students,
faculty, and staff that is free from discrimination based on sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender
identity and gender expression, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Disabilities: In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an
accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s) you must obtain
documentation of the need for an accommodation through Disability Resource Center (DRC) and provide
it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's
attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students
who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the
instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability
Resource Center (DRC) at 298-2512 for additional services.”
Education Majors: The changes within the state certification requirements go into effect immediately
for all of those students who graduate in the spring 2012 and after. You are required to receive a grade of
a "C" or better in this course. With the new university +/- grading system, receiving a "C-" or below will
require you to retake this course or find a substitute course to meet School of Agriculture graduation
requirements.
III. Course Expectations and Policies
1. Live the Golden Rule. Treat others with respect and courtesy in your conversation and actions. Turn
off and put away all electronic devices during the class period. Class is not the time to read the
newspaper or magazines.
2. Show up. Attendance and punctuality is expected. Notify the instructor in advance if you have any
reason to miss a class period. A minimum of 24 h notice (email or phone) is required if there is any
cause to miss an exam. If you do miss a class period, do not ask the instructor “Did I miss anything
important?” It is your responsibility to make arrangements to get the information you missed and to
make up any missed assignments.
3. Participate. Be prepared for class discussions by completing readings, taking notes, asking questions,
and working effectively with other students on lab and lecture activities.
4. Study. You should plan to spend a minimum of 3 hours outside of lecture/lab each week to
adequately learn the material.
5. Complete assignments. Assignments not turned in on the assigned date will have 10% of the total
potential points deducted for each day after the due date. The instructor will generally return exams
and assignments within 1 week.
6. The use of tobacco is prohibited in Knoblauch Hall, nor is it allowed during laboratory sessions at the
AFL.
Two dismissals due to disruptive or unprofessional behavior will result in a permanent disbarment
from the course and a final grade of “F” will be assigned.
IV. Course Objectives
At the conclusion of this course you should be able to:
a. Identify approximately 75 weedy species, describe their basic biology and list their Latin
binomial name
b. Explain what factors contribute to the “weediness” of a species
c. Explain how weeds cause damage to a landscape and predict potential crop losses
d. Identify appropriate non-herbicide techniques for managing weeds based on the biology of the
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
weed species
Describe factors that affect herbicide activity, movement, and fate in soil
Describe how herbicides enter, move within, and affect plant growth and development
Illustrate why herbicides are selective and why plants become resistant to them
Differentiate herbicide active ingredients into the appropriate herbicide mechanism of action
Diagnose herbicide injury and symptomology for eleven herbicide mechanisms of action
Demonstrate the ability to properly calibrate a sprayer
Demonstrate the ability to calculate proper rates for applying herbicides
Create a weed management plan for a specific management area
V. Grading
Probable Grade components
Participation
Lab quizzes/exams
Lecture quizzes
Weed collection
Scientific article review
Weed report/presentation
Weed Management Plan
Final exam (comprehensive)
Grading Scale
Percentage
93.0-100
90.0-92.9
87.0-89.9
83.0-86.9
80.0-82.9
77.0-79.9
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
Portion
10%
25%
25%
10%
5%
5%
5%
15%
Percentage
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
63.0-66.9
60.0-62.9
<59.9
Grade
C
CD+
D
DF
VI. Learning Assessment
Participation: A composite of attendance, punctuality, participation during class and accurate completion
of laboratory and lecture assignments.
Lab quizzes/exams: A quiz will be given most laboratory periods that will review material covered in
previous lab sessions. A Weed ID Exam and a Herbicide and Application Exam will also be taken during
lab periods.
Lecture quizzes: Quizzes will be given approximately every other week and will review material covered
in the previous lectures. The quizzes will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short essay
questions.
Weed Collection: Each student will make a collection of 20 weed species and a seed collection of 20
species. The collections will be graded on content and quality. Details will be provided in during a
laboratory activity.
Scientific article synopsis: The purpose of this assignment is for you to increase your skills in reading
and understanding peer-review published articles. You will select an article in consultation with the
instructor. Specific requirements regarding the synopsis will be provided later.
Weed report: In consultation with the instructor, each student will select a weed species and prepare a
report and presentation about that weed. Assignment details will be provided later.
Weed Management Plan: The purpose of this assignment is for you to develop a working plan to manage
weeds in a well-defined ecosystem. Assignment details will be provided later.
VII. Probable Course Calendar
Date
Aug 20
Aug 22
Lecture Topics
What Is a Weed?
Plant Systems I
Reading
Ch. 1
Ch. 5
Aug 27
Aug 29
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 10
Sept 12
Plant Systems II
Soil System , Quiz
Labor Day, No class.
Intro to Herbicides
Herbicide Uptake and Movement
Herbicide Mechanism of Action,
Quiz
Herbicide Selectivity
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Sept 17
Sept 19
Sept 24
Sept 26
Ch. 8
Pp. 154-162
Pp. 163-181
Pp. 185-191
Pp. 203-208
Pp. 209-225
Suppl.
Ch. 12
Oct 15
Oct 17
Herbicide Resistance
Reading Scientific Articles
Synthetic Auxins, Glyphosate and
ACCase-inhibitors, Quiz
ALS-, Pigment- and PSII-inhibitors
PSI and PPO-inhibitors, Glufosinate
Shoot and Root Inhibitors
WIU Ag Career Fair
Herbicide Fate
Dormancy and Seed Banks, Quiz
Interference and Competition
Oct 22
Oct 24
Oct 29
Oct 31
(ASA) Interference and Competition
Ecology and Invasion , Quiz
Ecology and Invasion
Management Methods
Ch. 3-4
Ch. 3-4
Ch. 7
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 12
Nov 14
Tillage and Cultivation
Management Methods, Quiz
Weed Management
Weed Management
Ch. 24
Ch. 7
Ch. 16-21
Ch. 16-21
Nov 1923
Nov 26
Nov 28
Dec 3
Dec 5
Happy Thanksgiving. No class.
Dec 10
Final Exam, 3 -5 p.m., 226 KH
Oct 1
Oct 3
Oct 8
Oct 10
Weed Management
Weed Management, Quiz
Weed Management
Weed Management
Ch. 12-13
Ch. 14
Ch. 15
Pp. 181-185
Pp. 192-203
Ch. 2
Ch. 2
Ch. 16-21
Ch. 16-21
Ch. 16-21
Ch. 16-21
Date
Lab topic (Location)
Aug 23
Plant Anatomy &Taxonomy/Weed
ID (AFL)
Aug 30
Weed Collection/Weed ID (KH 226)
Sept 6
Scouting/Weed ID (AFL)
Sept 13
Experimental Design/Weed ID (AFL)
Sept 20
Weed ID/Herbicide Selectivity (AFL)
Sept 27
Weed ID (KH 226)
Oct 4
Weed ID/Herbicide Selectivity (AFL)
Oct 11
Weed ID Exam (AFL)
Oct 18
Labels, Formulations and Adjuvants
(Ch. 22, AFL)
Oct 25
Herbicide Math (226 KH)
Nov 1
Nozzle Selection and Sprayer
Calibration (Ch. 23, AFL)
Nov 8
Weed Mngt Resources (226 KH)
Nov 15
Herbicide and Application Exam
(AFL)
Nov 29
Troubleshooting (Ch. 25, 226 KH)
Dec 6
Final Exam Review,
Course Evaluation