magine that weeds were left to grow uncontrolled in corn and soybean fields across North America. That scenario would cut U.S. and Canadian yields by about 50 percent, resulting in $43 billion in annual economic losses to those two crops alone, according to a new study.
The research, conducted by the Weed Science Society of America and led by Kansas State University professor Anita Dille, spanned seven years from 2007 to 2013. Details about the study are available at http://wssa.net/wssa/weed/croploss/.
“We were interested in trying to understand just how much impact weeds still have on our crops. Despite the great improvements we have in crop genetics and fertility, we’re still having to manage weeds,” Dille said, noting that weeds compete with crops for everything from sunlight to moisture to nutrients in the soil.
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