Growing a Weed?

In the Midwest corn-belt Pennycress is very common but farmers do not consider it be a problem weed for corn and soybean production. It is considered a controllable weed in barley, flax, oats, canola and wheat in more northern crop areas outside of the intended corn-belt production area.

Pennycress germinates in the fall and completes its growing cycle in the late spring and does not compete for light or nutrients with the summer cash crop. Research has found that in May most freshly matured seeds were dormant suggesting that these seeds required vernalization to germinate only during the subsequent fall and winter limiting any chance for summer germination and competition with summer crops. However, because the plant is so wide-spread, considerable research on chemical herbicides has been conducted showing that Pennycress is susceptible to 2,4-D and many other effective treatments. It is worth noting that Pennycress is considered such a minor weed problem that is not mentioned in the University of Illinois’ “Modern Corn and Soybean Production” handbook in its chapters on weed control.