Experts Believe Invasive Weed Has Reached Minnesota

Close-up of suspected female Palmer amaranth plant found in Yellow Medicine County, MN. Note the spiny bracts. Photo: Bruce Potter

University of Minnesota Extension experts say they believe an aggressive southern weed has turned up in Minnesota for the first time, the AP reports.

Palmer amaranth has been spreading northward. Extension weed specialist Bruce Potter says he saw it Tuesday after a crop consultant spotted suspected Palmer amaranth in a field in Yellow Medicine County in western Minnesota. They think it was in a native seed mixture planted to benefit pollinators.

Extension spokeswoman Allison Sandve says they expect to get official confirmation in a call with Minnesota Department of Agriculture officials Thursday.

Palmer amaranth can shoot up as high as 7 feet, and just one plant produces up to a million seeds. Herbicide is increasingly futile against it, and the weed’s thick stems and deep roots make it hard to kill by hand.

Extension Crop News: http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2016/09/check-pollinator-plantings-for-palmer.html

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