Quack grass

Acid rain affects plants by changing the conditions in the soil. For example, nitric acid deposits nitrates, which fertilize the land. The nitrates allow fast-growing weeds such as quack grass to replace valuable prairie species. If these species were to become extinct, their genetic material would no longer be available for agricultural research. 

Canada thistle Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., quack grass E.s repens (L.) Gould, barnyard grass E. crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv., monochoriaMonochoria vaginalis (Burm. F.) C. Presl ex Kunth Wild mustard Sinapis arvensis L. 

Weston LA, Putnam AR (1985) Inhibition of growth nodulation, and nitrogen fixation of legumes by quack grass. Crop Sci 25 561-565... 

This application was made between 0700 and 0830 a.m. in cool (air temp., 10 0 clear and windless weather. Both granular and emulsion formulations were incorporated to the 7.5cm depth with a disc cultivator within 15 minutes of application. A second cultivation to the same depth, but at right angles to the first, was completed within 2-3 hours. On May 20th both plots were spring-tooth harrowed for seed-bed preparation for soybean planting on the same day. The only subsequent soil disturbance was a row cultivation in late June to control a severe infestation of quack-grass control of broadleaf weeds was essentially complete with the trifluralin. 

The last mentioned behaviour led to practical consequences. At the time of their introduction chlorotriazines were particularly welcome because they were able to control the grass flora which had developed for years after 2,U-D treatments, especially quack-grass. In the meantime, the broad application of Atrazine has led at many places to the build-up of a new and different residual grass flora which can be controlled, however, by combination with suitable grass-killers. 

Due to its ability to outcompete weeds, Jerusalem artichoke was once advocated as a form of weed control in soils given no other form of cultivation. Two years of Jerusalem artichoke cultivation, for example, appeared to clear soil of quack grass (Shoemaker, 1927). However, Jerusalem artichoke is more commonly known as a weed itself, especially in cereals in the U.S. The tubers are difficult to harvest completely and volunteers result. If Jerusalem artichoke is cultivated on the same piece of ground for a number of years, volunteer plants developing among newly planted tubers pose little problem. If the following crop in a rotation is maize/com, Jerusalem artichoke can become a significant weed problem. Chemical, mechanical, and control approaches are used to control Jerusalem artichoke as a weed (see Section 12.3.2). 

OCN dog grass graminis quack grass triticum twitch grass Part rhizome... 

To reduce the silica content of quack grass and make it more palatable, leaves were sprayed with glyphosphate (125). The silica content of forage reduces digestibility this has been confirmed by experiments in which soluble silicate was added (126). 

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