The following was posted Monday, Aug. 4, to the Pacific Northwest Pest Alert Network’s website by Joel Felix at the Malheur Experiment Station in Ontario, Ore.:
This is an update to the alert that was posted on June 11, 2014, regarding the suspected glyphosate-resistant kochia plants in western Idaho and eastern Oregon sugarbeet fields. It has now been confirmed that the plants that escaped control in at least two fields in eastern Oregon were indeed resistant to glyphosate. Tests done by the weed laboratory staff at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., confirmed the resistance. Kochia weed seeds will be collected from different fields at the end of the season in order to determine the distribution of glyphosate-resistant kochia in the region.
In the meantime, we would encourage growers to physically remove kochia plants that escaped control in sugarbeet fields, if at all possible, in order to minimize the buildup of glyphosate-resistant seeds in the soil. Also, please report any suspicious kochia escapes to your local crop consultant, crop advisor, or Extension educators Joel Felix (OSU weed scientist) or Don Morishita (UI weed scientist).
Source: Pacific Northwest Pest Alert Network