Weed Management In Continuous Cotton: Summary of the Benchmark Study In North Carolina and Mississippi (2006-2009)

Developing weed management strategies that prevent or delay selection for herbicide resistant weed biotypes is increasingly important in cotton and other crops.  A multi-state study, referred to as the Benchmark Study (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Mississippi), was initiated in 2006 to compare weed management strategies used by farm cooperators with strategies recommended by university scientists.  Cropping systems included continuous cotton, continuous soybean, and rotations consisting of two crops.  Weed distribution and abundance, diversity of herbicide selection and mode of action, cotton lint yield, and estimated economic return from results in North Carolina and Mississippi over the four years of the experiment will be discussed for continuous cotton.