RESEARCH OVERVIEW:

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Weed ecology and integrated management of agricultural weeds

Our research focuses on understanding the ecological basis of sustainable agriculture and the integrated management of weeds.  This program embraces a multi-disciplinary approach to address both basic and applied problems facing the agricultural communities of Montana.  Core areas of research include 1) Patterns and functional importance of weed diversity in Montana's cropping system, 2) Assessment of multi-trophic pest management interactions in agroecosystem, 3) Development of integrated weed management practices, 4) Role of wheat variety, weed biotype, and stress on virus transmission and crop-weed competitive interactions, and 5) Evaluation of new and existing herbicides for weed management and crop safety. 

The knowledge generated in these studies has direct importance to Montana’s agriculture as it helps in the design sustainable weed management programs. The overall goal of our off-campus teaching program is to develop and deliver a research-based educational program addressing local, regional, and national concerns associated with the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of integrated weed management strategies in agronomic crops.  This program should provide County Extension Agents, state and federal employees, agricultural producers, agricultural professionals, and Montana citizens with the necessary information that will allow them to make informed decisions related to weed management and sustainable agriculture. 

Selected Publications:

Orloff L, Mangold J and Menalled FD  (In Press)  Effects of exotic annual grass control on sown seedling: Establishment and remnant vegetation in rangeland and old-field systems. Ecological Restoration.

McKenzie SC, Goosey H, O’Neill KM and Menalled FD  (In Press).  Integrating livestock for cover crop termination in horticultural vegetable production: Impacts on weed and ground beetle (Coleoptera: carabidae) communities.  Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.

Goosey H, McKenzie S, Rolson M, O’Neill KM and Menalled FD  (In Press). Impacts of contrasting alfalfa (Medicago sativa) production systems on the drivers of carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) community dynamics. Environmental Entomology.

Miller Z and Menalled FD  (2015) Impact of species identity and phylogenetic relatedness on biologically-mediated plant-soil feedbacks in a low and a high intensity agroecosystem.   Plant and Soil, 389, 171-183.

Keren I, Menalled FD, Weaver D and Robison-Cox J  (2015) Interacting agricultural pest management practices and their effect on crop yield: Application of a Bayesian decision theory approach to the joint management of Bromus tectorum and Cephus cinctus. PLOS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118111

Miller Z, Menalled FD, Sainju UM, Lenssen AW and Hatfield PG  (2015)  Integrating sheep grazing into cereal-based crop rotations: Spring wheat yields and weed communities.  Agronomy Journal, 107, 104-112.  

Miller Z, Menalled FD, Ito D, Moffet M and Burrows M  (2014)  Impacts of crop variety and time of inoculation on the susceptibility and tolerance of winter wheat to Wheat streak mosaic virus.  Plant Disease, 98, 1060-1065.

Liebman M, Miller Z, Williams C, Westerman PR, Dixon PM, Heggenstaller A, Davis AS, Menalled FD and Sundberg DN (2014)  Fates of Setaria faberi and Abutilon theophrasti seeds in three crop rotation systems.  Weed Research, 54, 293-306

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Click on an image to view as a slideshow.