AgriLife Research-led Cotton Belt sustainability effort underway

AgriLife Research weed science and cropping systems agronomist Muthukumar “Muthu” Bagavathiannan, Ph.D., is leading a $10 million grant project to transform cotton production into a more sustainable system in the southern U.S. Bagavathiannan is the Billie Turner Professor of Agronomy in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.

Tank-mixing herbicides may not be enough to avoid herbicide resistance

Eight years ago, University of Illinois and USDA-ARS scientists turned weed control on its head. More and more herbicide resistant weeds were popping up, and the pest plants were getting harder to kill. It was clear farmers could no longer rely on the same chemicals year after year. Industry campaigns and herbicide applicators began touting the benefits of rotating herbicides annually to avoid developing resistance, and rotation quickly became common practice.