Milk Producer April 2016 | Page 39

control the weed as effectively when evaluated at seven weeks after application. Although Milestone caused the majority of plants to wilt and die, new plant growth was observed after application but at levels much lower than the other tested herbicides. Digging up tansy ragwort and removing all the roots was also effective and no regrowth occurred throughout the season. Although digging up plants would be an effective way to deal with very small patches of tansy ragwort, larger infestations may be more efficiently controlled with a herbicide like Milestone. This experiment will be duplicated in 2016. TABLE 1. Summary of different management options to control tansy ragwort**. Management Strategy Rate Effectiveness (% visual control) 2 weeks* 7 weeks* Milestone Restore II 2,4-D Amine 600 Banvel II Mechanical Control (digging) 152 mL/ac 850 mL/ac 1.6 L/ac 1 L/ac Roughly 30-60 seconds per plant 80% 80% 50% 30% 100% 100% 80% 40% 30% 10% 100% 100% * After application. ** Plant density was around 1,000 per acre. FIGURE 3. A flowering tansy ragwort plant during August. Kate Ayers is from the University of Guelph, Ontario Agriculture College. Mike Co ؜