Bryan Brown

Integrated Weed Management Specialist, Cornell Integrated Pest Management

Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Horticulture Section

About
Selected Publications
Video Highlights

My research and extension programs aim to improve management of weeds while minimizing the associated environmental, economic, and human health risks. My responsibilities include weed management in all agricultural crops and community settings in New York.

Education

Ph.D., University of Maine, 2017
B.A., Colby College, 2009

Interests

Integrated weed management

Culturally appropriate extension

Weed seedbank dynamics

Recent Research

Weed management is one of the most critical aspects of farming and land management. Recent weed management challenges have reached crisis levels due to labor shortages, herbicide resistant weeds, and increasingly unpredictable weather. My research seeks to find new alternatives to address these challenges. Topics include ecologically-based weed management, “stacked” cultivation, and electrical weed control. I recently completed a review of how management can be improved based on the biology of the weed species present. For example, the adjustments in the timing of tillage can result in dramatically different weed species communities based on dormancy-mediated emergence patterns. I am also involved in research examining the “integrated” effects of weed management efforts – like mulching, cultivation, cover cropping, or herbicide usage – on pests, soil health, and economic viability.

Extension

Most of my extension focuses on working with farmers and land managers to find safe, effective, and culturally appropriate weed management solutions. I supplement my one-on-one extension efforts with educational videos, podcasts, presentations, and written resources to provide weed management information to additional audiences. For example, I recently filmed slow-motion videos of farmers’ cultivators to help optimize their adjustment. I also find on-farm demonstrations particularly effective for disseminating information via farmer-to-farmer networks. One such recently completed project demonstrated weed control programs that address herbicide resistant tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) in corn and soybean. Programs showcased effective herbicides, cultivation, and cover cropping techniques that can be used to manage this weed species.

Journal Articles

Brown, B., Gallandt, E.R., DiTommaso, A., Salon, P., Smith, R.G., Ryan, M.R., Cordeau, S. (2022) Improving weed management based on the timing of emergence peaks: A case study of problematic weeds in Northeast USA. Frontiers in Agronomy. doi:10.3389/fagro.2022.888664
Alyokhin, A., Nault, B., Brown, B. (2020) Soil conservation practices for insect pest management in highly disturbed agroecosystems. Entomologia experimentalis et applicate. 168(1):7-27. doi:10.1111/eea.12863
Pethybridge, S., Brown, B., Kikkert, J., Ryan, M.R. (2020) Rolled-crimped cereal rye mulch suppresses white mold in no-till soybean and dry bean. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 35(6):599-607. doi:10.1017/S174217051900022X
Brown, B., Gallandt, E.R., Hoshide, A. (2019) An economic comparison of weed management systems used in small-scale organic vegetable production. Organic Agriculture. 9:53-63. doi:10.1007/s13165-018-0206-1
Brown, B., Gallandt, E.R. (2019) To each their own: Case studies of four successful, small-scale organic vegetable farmers with distinct weed management strategies. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. 34(5):373-379. doi:10.1017/S1742170517000576
Brown, B., Gallandt, E.R. (2018). Evidence of synergy with ‘stacked’ intrarow cultivation tools. Weed Research. 58(4):284-291. doi:10.1111/wre.12309
Brown, B., Gallandt, E.R. (2018) A systems comparison of contrasting organic weed management strategies. Weed Science. 66(1):109-120.
Smith, R.G., Birthisel, S.K., Bosworth, S.C., Brown, B., Davis, T., Gallandt, E.R., Hazelrigg, A., Venturini, E., Warren, N.D. (2018) Environmental correlates with germinable weed seed banks on organic farms across northern New England. Weed Science. 66(1):78-93.
Cordeau, S., Smith, R.G., Gallandt, E.R., Brown, B., Salon, P., DiTommaso, A., Ryan, M.R. (2017) How do weed species differ in their response to the timing of tillage? A study of 61 species across the Northeastern United States. Annals of Applied Biology. 171(3):340-352.
Cordeau, S., Smith R.G., Gallandt, E.R., Brown, B., Salon, P., DiTommaso, A., Ryan, M.R. (2017) Disentangling the effects of tillage timing and weather on weed community assembly. Agriculture. 7(8):66, doi:10.3390/agriculture7080066
Cordeau, S., Smith, R.G., Gallandt, E.R., Brown, B., Salon, P., DiTommaso, A., Ryan, M.R. (2017) Timing of tillage as a driver of weed community structure. Weed Science. 65(4):504-514.

Book Chapters

Gallandt, E.R., Birthisel, S., Brown, B., McCollough, M., and Pickoff, M. (2018) Organic farming and sustainable weed control. In Korres, N.E., Burgos, N.R., and Duke, S.O. (eds) Weed Control: Sustainability, hazards and risks in cropping systems worldwide. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Sawston, UK.
Gallandt, E.R., Brainard, D.C., Brown, B. (2018) Developments in physical weed control. In: Integrated weed management for sustainable agriculture, (ed R.L. Zimdahl) 261-283. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. Sawston, UK.

Contact Information

116 Surge A
222 Tower Rd,
Ithaca, NY 14853

(315) 787-2432

bryan.brown [at] cornell.edu

Bryan in the news

News

November 4, 2026

More tools, better weed control

For farmers, weeds are a relentless problem, and the ones that sprout right next to the crop are the hardest to manage. New research from Cornell AgriTech shows that farmers may be able to gain better control of those stubborn in-row weeds by...

Cornell AgriTech
Cornell Integrated Pest Management
Horticulture

News

March 13, 2025

Superweed in NYS found resistant to widely used herbicide

New research confirms glyphosate-resistant waterhemp for the first time in New York state, with significant consequences for soybean growers, many of whom use the herbicide as their primary method of weed control.

Cornell AgriTech
School of Integrative Plant Science
Soil and Crop Sciences Section