Taming Weeds in Your Greens Quiz Quiz

Explore essential strategies and practices for controlling weeds in leafy vegetable cultivation, covering identification, prevention, and integrated management. This quiz targets common challenges and methods in agricultural weed control for greens like lettuce and spinach.

1. Weed Identification in Leafy Greens

   Which of the following is a common broadleaf weed that can compete with lettuce crops if not managed early?

   1. Oat grass
   2. Pigweed
   3. Tomato
   4. Field corn

   Explanation: Pigweed is a prevalent broadleaf weed that can aggressively compete with lettuce for nutrients, water, and light. Field corn and tomato are cultivated crops, not typical weeds in lettuce fields. Oat grass is a cereal grass and not commonly an aggressive weed in leafy vegetable plots.

2. Cultural Weed Control Methods

   Which cultural practice helps reduce weed pressure in spinach beds by minimizing bare soil exposure?

   1. Mulching
   2. Flood irrigation
   3. Late sowing
   4. Deep plowing

   Explanation: Mulching covers the soil, reducing light for weed seeds and helping retain moisture. Deep plowing may bring dormant weed seeds to the surface. Flood irrigation is not suited for most leafy vegetables and may spread certain weeds. Late sowing can allow weeds to establish before the crop does.

3. Herbicide Selection for Leafy Vegetables

   When selecting herbicides for leafy vegetable fields, which is the best general guideline to follow?

   1. Choose only herbicides registered for that crop
   2. Increase rates above label recommendation
   3. Apply any broad-spectrum herbicide
   4. Use strong herbicides for all weeds

   Explanation: Using only herbicides registered for the specific crop helps prevent crop damage and ensures legal compliance. Applying strong herbicides or broad-spectrum products indiscriminately can harm the crop and environment. Increasing rates above the label is unsafe and often illegal.

4. Timing of Mechanical Weed Removal

   What is the ideal stage to remove weeds mechanically in young leafy vegetable crops such as lettuce or kale?

   1. After weeds have seeded
   2. During flowering of the crop
   3. At crop harvest
   4. When weeds are seedlings

   Explanation: Removing weeds while they are still seedlings prevents them from establishing, competing, and producing seeds. Waiting until harvest or after weeds have seeded allows them to outcompete crops and multiply. Removing weeds during crop flowering can disrupt sensitive crop growth stages.

5. Integrated Weed Management

   Why is it beneficial to combine multiple weed control practices in leafy vegetable farming?

   1. To save time over the season
   2. To harvest weeds as a second crop
   3. Because only chemicals work
   4. To reduce weed resistance development

   Explanation: Using a combination of practices (cultural, mechanical, chemical, and manual) reduces the chance of weeds adapting and developing resistance. Relying on a single method, especially chemicals, can lead to resistance. Saving time and harvesting weeds are not primary reasons for integrated weed management.