By Matthew C. Fleetwood
Ph.D. Student • University of Missouri
By Xi Xiong
Associate Professor, Plant Sciences • University of Missouri
Yellow nutsedge remains a difficult-to-control weed for many turf areas. As a perennial plant species, it spreads primarily by underground rhizomes and tubers. Greenhouse research carried out at the University of Missouri discovered that one single yellow nutsedge plant can produce 203 shoots and 236 tubers in just 8 months. Under field conditions, yellow nutsedge can be relatively easy to suppress, however, the control was temporary and the suppression was limited to primarily the above-ground tissue. Our field experiment revealed that satisfactory control of yellow nutsedge requires multi-year herbicide applications.