Phytoprotection
Malherbology

Screening of weeds collected during combine cleaning

241274, biosecurity, Herbicide resistance, Threshing machine, Weed science, Weeds

Popularized summary

In field crops, the combine harvester is the piece of equipment that poses the greatest risk of spreading weeds, particularly those that retain their seeds beyond harvest time, such as amaranth, goosefoot, and ragweed. Physical cleaning of the combine harvester is a very effective solution to prevent the spread of weed seeds. However, despite the existence of quick protocols for cleaning combine harvesters, this practice is still rarely adopted. The main goal of the project is to raise awareness among agricultural producers of the importance of cleaning combine harvesters as a key part of integrated pest management, which will reduce the creation of new weed infestations, including those resistant to herbicides. To do this, we cleaned a used combine harvester to document the amount of debris collected by each part of the harvester, quantify and identify viable weed seeds, and determine the presence of herbicide-resistant species.

Photo credit: Sandra Flores-Mejia

Scientific summary

In recent years, agricultural machinery has been identified as one of the major vectors of crop pests, particularly weeds. In field crops, the combine harvester is the equipment most likely to spread them, as it can contain more than 90 kg of organic matter even after running empty. The only effective way to prevent contamination is to physically clean the machine. In fact, used combine harvesters from the United States were responsible for introducing redroot pigweed to Quebec, a highly problematic weed due to its life cycle and multiple herbicide resistance. Despite efforts to promote biosecurity as one of the main pillars of integrated pest management, cleaning combine harvesters that move between fields and different companies remains a rarely practiced procedure.

Gloals

The goal of this research project is to:

Thoroughly clean a used threshing machine recently acquired by a producer.
Weigh and document all plant waste obtained when washing the different parts of the threshing machine.
Clean the samples to obtain only weed seeds.
Complete two cycles of stratification and germination of the weed seeds collected from each part of the combine harvester in order to identify and quantify the species present.
Determine the presence of herbicide-resistant weeds among the species present.

Such a project has never been carried out in Quebec. It will highlight the importance of adopting biosecurity measures on farms, particularly cleaning the combine harvester, as the cornerstone of the fight against

Germination des graines des MH — Germination of seeds from MH harvested during cleaning of a combine harvester

Photo credit: Sandra Flores-Mejia

Domain: Phytoprotection
Speciality: Malherbology

Mots clés : 241274, biosecurity, Herbicide resistance, Threshing machine, Weed science, Weeds

Project leader: Sandra Flores-Mejia

External collaborator(s): Stéphanie Mathieu (MAPAQ), Josée Tremblay (MAPAQ), Amélie Picard (LEDP-MAPAQ), Annie Marcoux (LEDP-MAPAQ) et David Girardville (Club agroenvironnemental du Suroît).

Source de financement : RAP-recherche

Durée : 2023-2024

Culture: Soya, Maïs, Wheat

Status: Finished