Weed beet problems in sugar beet could be solved by chemical means, says Eric Ober of Broom’s Barn.

“We’ve been looking at chemicals that prevent plants from setting seed,” he told growers at Beet 08.

Spraying such a chemical around the time fungicides were applied to crops should reduce the amount of seed going back into the crop, he said.

“There is a slight glimmer of hope that some of the products we have been testing can do that. If we can find the right benign chemical that fits into agricultural practice, we might just have a silver bullet.”

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