Control of winter annual grasses in south central Kansas

Volunteer wheat and winter annual grasses (Downy Brame, Japanese Brame, and Cheat} are major weeds in winter wheat fields in south central Kansas. Volunteer wheat must be classed as a weed because it presents a wheat-streak mosaic threat to planted wheat. The winter annual grasses have the same life cycle as wheat. Herbicides are not avaUable to control winter annual grasses in growing wheat on sandy soils, so tillage or herbicides not compatible with growing wheat must be used. However, significant control can be obtained by planting (rotating) infested fields to a row crop like grain sorghum with effective tillage before planting. Control of volunteer wheat in continuous wheat, a difficult and weather-related problem, is not covered in this report.