Weed Seedbank Analyses

Project overview and publications

Funded by SARE, this three-year project, led by Cornell IPM’s Bryan Brown, included collaborations with 51 farms across New York State. Soil samples were collected at each site, then weeds were germinated, identified and researched to help growers develop individualized management plans.

A person in a raincoat stands facing the camera, holding a soil core sampler tool in a vineyard in mid-spring. A white bucket in front of them is ready to collect the sample.

A smiling man wearing a green cap and a plaid button-down shirt stands in a brightly lit greenhouse. He rests one hand on the edge of a metal grating table that holds dozens of black rectangular planting trays. The trays are filled with varying shades of brown soil, and several contain small wooden marker stakes and newly sprouted tiny green seedlings.

A close-up, top-down view of a very small, four-leaved green seedling freshly sprouted in dark, rough soil. A metal ruler showing millimeter and centimeter markings is positioned diagonally directly next to the plant to demonstrate scale. The entire seedling is smaller than one centimeter across.

A smiling woman with short dark hair stands outdoors in front of a stone and brick building, holding up a booklet titled 'Cornell IPM: New York State Integrated Pest Management.' She wears a brown fleece jacket, light-colored pants, and sunglasses pushed up on her head. Behind her to the left are concrete steps with a white metal railing, and to the right, a low wall with bare shrubs.

A dark green, two-burner portable camp stove sits on dry, cloddy soil in an open agricultural field. Two metal pots containing clear liquid, likely water, rest on the stove's grates. A small green propane cylinder is connected to the front of the stove. Behind the setup, tilled rows stretch into the distance, marked in lines by small white stakes and bright orange wire flags.

Project leaders

Bryan Brown, Cornell Integrated Pest Management
Sam Anderson, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Antonio DiTommaso, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
Lori Koenick, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Lynn Sosnoskie, Cornell AgriTech

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Kassady Cerny and Saige Crawley for technical support.

Thank you to Carrie Carmenatty for production review and promotion, Brian Dudla for graphic design services and Henry Zelenak for digital design and web production.

Additional information about the project

For more information, contact Bryan Brown at bjb342 [at] cornell.edu (bjb342[at]cornell[dot]edu) or (315) 787-2432.

This material is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under sub-award number LNE23-470. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA.

Pesticide use disclaimer

This publication includes herbicide active ingredients that may be labeled for use on specific crops in New York State, however, it is the responsibility of users to ensure that applications comply with registered use guidelines and label instructions, as crop tolerance may vary based on variety.
Applicators must read and comply with all pesticide labels and regulations. The information in this publication is not a substitute for product labeling.