Display (TM)

"The newest cotton harvest aid for cotton growers who demand reliable defoliation with less regrowth and rapid control of viney weeds. Display is a PPO that comes as a concentrated, low-use rate formulation. It delivers excellent results even in cool temperatures, and tank mixes easily with adjuvants and other harvest aid chemistries." -Taken from www.fmccrop.com  

The featured fields are in Isola, Mississippi. As you compare the two pictures above, you probably can see a distinct difference. The top picture was taken just 36 hours after the cotton field was sprayed and the bottom picture was taken exactly 7 days after. The results of Display (TM) cotton defoliant are remarkably fast - which is very important when seasons are changing and the crop was planted late. Display (TM) has consistently shown positive results while saving growers up to 4 days harvest time! 

And time is money.  

The Dreaded Pigweed

    This is the dreaded pigweed. A plant feared and faced in any region of the United States with a growth hormone faster than a racecar. It is a summer annual that germinates from late winter through summer season. It grows incredibly fast and spreads like wildfire; seeds spread inch by inch to cover an entire field. If farmers don't carefully clean their machines they could potentially ruin a clean field if just one tiny pigweed seed hits the ground. They are nitrate-accumlating in certain environmental conditions. Nitrate is found in fertilizer, but too much can be posionous. The weed can be killed by herbicides if it is caught young (and I mean smaller than 3 inches tall). However, once that baby hits 4+ inches you can forget about it.

   The pigweed especially interests me because of its growth potential. I have seen a one inch pigweed on a Monday and by the end of the week it was up to my hip! Once the weed takes over it is hard to distinguish your crop and weed regrowth becomes a problem later on.

   The weeds on the left have not invaded the corn on the right because the corn has been sprayed with some Anthem (TM) herbicide to protect it. This is just a great example of what I've seen all summer from Texas to North Carolina. One thing I'd like to research is possibility for transforming pigweeds into biofuels. A plant this strong should be manipulated for benefits - we just need to figure out how to do it!