Kansas. She conducted three different experiments, planting the weeds in pots alongside canola, soybeans, and redroot pigweed to determine if any of the plants would suppress the growth of Palmer amaranth. Research into how Palmer amaranth interacts with soybeans has been conducted in the U.S., but little has been done to learn about the weed's interaction with spring canola. Ballantyne was able to compare existing soybean research information and compare it to her own results, adding to a growing bank of information about how Palmer amaranth affects field crops. "The idea is to test to see how common Canadian crops like canola and soybeans stand up against the weed, and if we could use these as cover crops as a possible Palmar amaranth weed control method if needed," explains Ballantyne. Results showed there was a clear interaction between redroot pigweed and palmer amaranth (a pigweed species), demonstrating the competitiveness of both weeds. In pots where canola and Palmer amaranth were planted together, the weed grew smaller, demonstrating canola's potential ability to suppress this invasive plant. Unfortunately, Ballantyne's results were consistent with previous research conducted in the U.S. that observed Palmer amaranth suppressed soybean growth and reduced yield. "Soybeans are shorter and don't have height advantage canola does over Palmer amaranth," says Ballantyne. The study shows that canola could have potential as a cover crop to manage Palmer amaranth weed pressure, but Ballantyne notes that while this study was conducted in a greenhouse, the results still need to be tested in the field. And while some field research has been conducted on spring canola's ability to suppress palmer amaranth in the U.S., that can not happen until Palmar amaranth takes root in Canadian fields. Asecondary research project was also conducted, testing the allelopathy of palmer amaranth with canola, soybeans and redroot pigweed. Allelopathy is the negative or positive effect on one type of plant by a chemical produced by another type of plant. Preliminary results showed that each plant material did have an interaction with each other. "This is a new area of research for Canada, and I hope this project will open more questions about how Palmer amaranth affects and interacts with Canadian crops like canola," says Ballantyne. l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 23 AUGUST 2023 Canadian Beer Day 2023 is a celebration of the people behind our nation’s favorite beverage, from those growing the grains to those pouring pints. BROUGHT TO YOU BY CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES ON HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE @BeerCanadaCheers @BeerCanada
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