Rodger Farr, a senior agronomy major, received first-place in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Spring Research Fair Undergraduate Student Research Poster Session. He is advised by Greg Kruger, associate professor of agronomy, and weed science and application technology specialist at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte.
The Spring Research Fair focuses on students, showcasing research and creative accomplishments by Nebraska undergraduate and graduate students.
Farr’s poster was titled “Evaluation of Tank-Mixture Interactions Between Glyphosate, Glufosinate, and Dicamba.”
Farr’s research investigated how tank-mixtures of three different herbicides – glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba – interact with each other in tank-mixture situations in terms of weed control efficacy of eight different weed species in western Nebraska.
With the rise of herbicide-resistant weeds, producers have begun to utilize more herbicide tank-mixture options to reduce the potential selection pressure.
When herbicides are mixed together in the same tank for herbicide applications, they tend to interact with each other in one of three ways: synergistically, antagonistically, or additively. With new soybean varieties that are tolerant to all three of these herbicides coming to the market soon, Farr tested how these three herbicides would interact with each other across a variety of different tank-mixtures.
The study determined that many of these herbicides tank-mixtures produced additive interactions. Some of the interactions were specific to certain weed species. More research will need to be done with specific weed species to further understand the interactions.
Farr will begin graduate school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to study weed science in the fall.
The UNL Research Fair is a campus wide celebration of research and creative activity. Since 2000, the Research Fair has been a chance to celebrate faculty success, showcase student work and engage in professional development. The Spring 2019 Research Fair was held April 15.
