october, 2015 newsletter - weed science society of...

Newsletter

Volume 43, No. 4October, 2015

Another summer growing season has passed and fallcrop harvest is winding down. It’s now time for farmersto reassess last year’s weed control programs and startplanning for next year. Planning is well under way forthe 2016 joint meeting of WSSA and SWSS in San Juan,Puerto Rico next February. Program co-chairs Kevin

Bradley and Peter Dotray, along with Joyce Lancaster and Tony Ballard, havebeen busy organizing a very interesting and busy meeting.For those that are planning to come early, there is a preconference tour on

Sunday afternoon to the El Yunque Rainforest on the eastern side of the islandthat will explore the flora and fauna of the only tropical rainforest in the U.S.National Forest System. Guests will also have an opportunity to sign up for toursand visits to historic old San Juan and a local beach during the meetings.The meeting will get started with the general session and WSSA awards

presentations on Monday afternoon, followed by the WSSA social. The generalsession will include local speakers who will focus on the history, agriculture, andecology of Puerto Rico. These presentations should help us all become morefamiliar with our island host.Oral paper and poster submissions are up substantially from past years so it

will be a busy meeting with more concurrent sessions than normal. The programwill also include four diverse symposia. The first symposiumwill focus on “21stCentury Challenges in Aquatic Weed Management” and is being organized byJohn Madsen. The second symposium is titled “The Intersection of Agriculturaland Wild Areas: Management of the Non-Crop Vegetation as Habitat for Polli-nator, Beneficial and Iconic Species” with coordination by Michael Horak. Thethird symposium is being organized by William Bruckart on the topic of “Use ofEndemic Plant Diseases and Insect Pests for Biologic Control of InvasiveWeeds.”The final symposiumwill be on “Weed Control in 2050: Imagining Future Strate-gies and the Knowledge Needed toAchieve Them” and is being spearheaded byJames Westwood. The meeting will conclude at noon on Thursday. Hopefully,

Washington Report . . . . . . . . . . 6

ISAA 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Necrology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12

Important Addresses . . . . . . . . . 13

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . 14

CONTINUED on pg 2��

IN THIS ISSUE

California Annual Meeting . . . . . . 3

Photo Contest Guidelines . . . . . . 4

Northeastern Conference . . . . . . 5

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WSSA NEWSLETTERVOL. 43, NO. 4 OCTOBER, 2015

Published quarterly by the WeedScience Society of America. Subscrip-tion included in the annual dues paidby members of the Society. Addresscorrespondence and information to:

Elizabeth Simpson10 Jadyn LaneBrandon Manitoba, CanadaR7A [email protected]: 204.720.1940

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CONTINUED from pg 1

THINK NEWSLETTERDeadline for January issue

December 1, 2015

WSSA HOME PAGEACCESSED AT:

www.wssa.net

2 WSSA Newsletter October, 2015

WSSAFUTURE MEETINGSITES AND DATES

201656th Joint Annual MeetingSWSS and WSSASan Juan SheratonSan Juan, Puerto RicoKevin Bradley, Co-ChairEmail: bradleyke@

missouri.eduPhone: 573-882-4039

Peter Dotray, Co-Chair

2017Tucson, Arizona

many of you can extend your stay and have a chance to check out the beaches andsites of Puerto Rico.There are a number of other activities that the WSSA board and our members

have been working on the last several months. The herbicide resistance educationcommittee has developed a plan and is working on developing a “HerbicideResistance Information” portal to be located on the WSSA website. Hopefully,the new website page will be up and going by the end of the year. Thanks toMichael Horak for moving the process forward.In conjunction with the herbicide resistance website, the herbicide resistance

education committee also recommended that WSSA endorse the “Take Action”herbicide resistance educational program and materials. Take Action is an edu-cational project involving a number of ExtensionWeed Specialists from the NorthCentral and Southern regions to develop herbicide resistance management edu-cational materials (http://takeactiononweeds.com/). The committee felt thatthere was no need forWSSA to duplicate the type of information that had alreadybeen produced by many of our members. The WSSA board agreed and recentlyapproved endorsement of the Take Action program and materials.WSSAwas recently invited to participate in an upcoming meeting of agricul-

tural scientific societies to develop a unified message regarding federal fundingpriorities. The meeting is being coordinated by the Charles Valentine RileyMemorial Foundation at the American Association for the Advancement ofSciences headquarters inWashington, DC.WSSAVice-President Janis McFarlandwill be representing WSSA at the meeting.WSSAwas also invited to participate in the development of a Natural Resource

Council sponsored workshop on recruitment of students into agriculturalsciences. The workshop apparently is an outgrowth of the Coalition of Societiesfor Agriculture Workforce that David Shaw was involved with while he wasPresident of WSSA. David has agreed to participate on behalf of WSSA on thesteering committee that is planning the workshop.Dr. Shaw also will be presenting an educational seminar on Herbicide Resist-

ant Weed Management as part of the National Coalition for Food and Agricul-tural Research (NC-FAR) Hill Seminar Series on December 4. The goal of the

For All Contacts:Phone: (800) 627-1326, (785) 843-1234 • Fax: (785) 843-1274

Joyce Lancaster, Executive SecretaryExt. 250; E-mail: [email protected]: Society reimbursements, committee activities, membershipreports, list rental requests

Tony Ballard, Meeting ManagerE-mail: [email protected]: WSSA annual meeting

Beverly Lindeen, Managing EditorE-mail: [email protected]: Reviewer questions

WSSA Contacts at Allen Press, Inc.



PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CONTINUED from pg 2seminar series is to inform Capitol Hill staff and otherpolicy stakeholders about the value of public investment infood and agricultural research featuring leading edgeresearchers on topics of high interest.David’s participation in the seminar series was coordi-

nated by Lee Van Wychen, just one of the many things thatLee does on our behalf as theWSSAScience Policy Director.Please refer to the Washington Report elsewhere in thenewsletter to get up to date on Lee’s other activities and thehot topics in DC the last several months.Joyce Lancaster and the WSSA board have been in the

process of site selection for the annual meetings in 2018 and2019. The board has approved having the 2018 meeting atthe Crystal Gateway Marriot in Arlington, Virginia in 2018and the Sheraton New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisianafor 2019 contingent on finalizing satisfactory contracts fromthe respective hotels.Finally, WSSA will be sending out an RFP in the next

several weeks to solicit proposals for future executive sec-retary and business services in advance of Joyce’s retire-ment in 2017. This will be done in conjunction with severalof our affiliated societies who will also be searching for areplacement for Phil Banks in a similar capacity. Interestedcompanies or individuals can submit proposals for any orall of the societies included in the RFP. This will be a veryimportant decision for the future of our societies. KevinBradley has led this charge and worked with leaders of theother societies, Joyce, and Phil to develop the RFP and startthe process. Please forward any prospective organizationsor individuals that you think might be interested in pro-viding these services.

Dallas PetersonWSSA President

The California Weed Science Society68th Annual Conference

““AAddddrreessssiinngg DDiivveerrssee aannddDDyynnaammiicc CChhaalllleennggeess iinn WWeeeedd

MMaannaaggeemmeenntt””

JJaannuuaarryy 1133--1155,, 22001166

Hyatt Regency- Sacramento1209 L Street

Sacramento, CA 94814Tel: 916.443.1234 Fax: 916.321.3779

www.cwss.org

Featured Sessions Include:Experts in the general sessions including experts inherbicide injuryStudent Oral Paper and Poster contestsNew research and updates on weed biology andmanagement in CA agricultural crops andorchards, turf & ornamentals, roadside &industrial sites, forestry, range & natural areas,and aquatic sites.Laws and Regulations Sessions

DPR CEU’s have been requested

To register online and view hotel reservation details,visit www.cwss.org or call (831) 442-0883 for aprogram agenda and registration form.


December 1, 2013

Send Newsletter material to:

Elizabeth Simpson

10 Jadyn Lane

Brandon Manitoba, Canada

R7A 6W7

[email protected]

Phone: 204.720.1940


WSSA PHOTO CONTESTDeadline: January 29, 2016

Subcommittee Chair:Michael DeFelice

[email protected] NW 62nd Ave., Johnston, IA 50131-1150

(515) 535-6705

This contest is open only to members of the WSSA andthe subject of the photo must be related to weed science.There are three divisions: 1) Flowers and other reproductivestructures; 2) Vegetative growth and structures; and 3)Weeds in the Landscape. Judges consider factors such assubject, composition, technical aspects, and overall appeal.

Attention photographers! Please read the following rulesregarding photo contest entries and evaluations below:

General Rules1. Contest is open only to WSSA members.2. All images must be submitted in digital format (see

specifics below)3. Subject of the photo should meet the criteria specified

for one of the three divisions.4. Each contestant can enter a maximum of 3 images per

division but can win only one prize per division.5. Prizes in each division are $150 for the winner and $75

for the runner-up.6. n some cases, an overall winner may be selected and

presented the “WSSA Outstanding PhotographerAward,” which includes a $300 prize.

7. Members of the Photo Contest Subcommittee will judgethe contest.

8. Judges will consider factors such as subject, composi-tion, lighting, technical aspects, and overall appeal.

9. E-MAIL IMAGES TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR BYJANUARY 29. Note: We are not accepting submissionsat the meeting this year. Images must be emailed tothe sub-committee chair by end of business, Friday,January 29, 2016.

Photo File Submission1. Photo files must be submitted by email as an attach-

ment.2. Digital files must be a minimum of 2120 x 1416 pixel

resolution or at least 3 megapixels for consideration.3. Digital media should be labeled with your name and

address and the PC file format, which must be in .jpg,.png format. Convert your files before submission.Other types will not be judged. Name your files to matchall or a portion of your image title. A separate text filein Microsoft Word *.doc or ASCSII text *.txt format mustbe included giving the following information for eachphoto submitted.

Water Drops on Palmleaf MorninggloryCirca 1998Raleigh, NCShawn Askew

Division (Flowers, Vegetative or Landscape)

Flowers and Fruit DivisionPhoto submissions in this division should have flowers,

flowering inflorescences, fruit or seeds as the mainsubject of the photo. This also includes close-up (macro)photos of floral or fruit structures.

Vegetative Structures DivisionPhoto submissions in this division should have leaves,

stems, roots (rhizomes and other vegetative reproductivestructures are also included in this division) and othervegetative structures as the main subject of the photo. Thisalso includes close-up (macro) photos of any part of a weedthat is not floral or fruit.

Weeds in the Landscape DivisionPhoto submissions in this division can be of any weed

related subject that does not fit in the first two categories.Examples include – but are not limited to – vines growingover fences or crops, a cluster or population of weeds in afield, roadside, or pond, herbicide symptoms on weeds orcrops, or the effects of management practices on weeds orthe environment.

Helpful tips and judging criteria1. Photos should not include identifiable people. Photos

with people featured prominently and identifiable aspart of the photo subject will automatically be disqual-ified from the contest.

2. Photos should not include insects unless they areincidental in the background. Photos with insects fea-tured prominently as part of the photo subject willautomatically be disqualified from the contest.

3. The judges will be looking for creativity and technicalexcellence when selecting the photographs. Aspects ofcreativity include composition, lighting, use of color andcontrast, and unusual subjects or viewpoints. Technicalaspects include focus, sharpness, appropriate depth-of-field, exposure, and the presence of distractingelements in the photo.


Northeastern Plant, Pest, and Soils ConferenceJanuary 3–7, 2016 • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Northeastern Plant, Pest, and Soils Conference will be

held at the Sheraton Society Hills Hotel, One Dock Street,

Philadelphia, from January 3rd to 7th, 2016. The conference

will be hosted by the Northeastern Weed Science Society

and will mark the first joint-meeting with peer societies; the

Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America,

Northeastern Division of the American Phytopathological

Society, American Society of Horticultural Science-Northeast

Region, and the Northeast Branch of the American Society

of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil

Science Society of America. The participating societies will

not hold separate meetings in 2016. Various committee

meetings are expected to occur on January 3rd along with a

Statistics Workshop. January 4th morning will feature a sym-

posium on biological control of weeds, two concurrent ses-

sions in Entomology, two additional Statistics Workshop

followed by a Roundtable Extension/Industry workshop in

the afternoon. This afternoon workshop will bring together

specialists and scientists representing academia and

industry to discuss emerging and current pest and other

cultural issues related to various commodities in the region.

Informal roundtable discussions during subsequent days are

expected to bring researchers and educators who share

common goals from a multidisciplinary perspective as a

follow up to this workshop.

An opening ceremony is planned for Monday late afternoon

to be followed by a mixer. A cross-disciplinary “Quiz-Bowl”

will take place that evening. The quiz-bowl will be an inform-

ative yet fun-filled activity that brings together students from

different disciplines who may compete as teams represented

by various Universities.

Graduate students will be offered venues to present their

research in competitive oral and poster presentations, and

also to enhance career placement skills through an exclu-

sive workhop. Breakout sessions will consume bulk of the

remaining days with the goal of bringing together researchers

to form synergistic partnerships and foster interdisciplinary

activities. Most sessions will be arranged based on broad,

multi-disciplinary areas and are expected to integrate

research from all relevant disciplines. The Linnaean games

will be scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Concurrent sessions are expected to include Agronomic

Crops; Soils; Physiology, Molecular Biology, & Toxicology;

Environmental Quality; Biology, Ecology, Taxonomy, & Evolu-

tion; Vegetable Crops; Fruit Crops; Turf & Ornamentals;

Vegetation Management & Restoration; Invasive Species;

Forestry Pests; Medical and Urban Pests; Insect Detection,

Evaluation, and Prediction; Organic Production Systems;

Beneficial Plants and Insects; and Biological Control.

Various receptions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednes-

day evenings will also provide opportunities for spirited

discussions among peers.

www.neppsc.org


December 1, 2013


Elizabeth Simpson

10 Jadyn Lane

Brandon Manitoba, Canada

R7A 6W7

[email protected]

Phone: 204.720.1940

WASHINGTONREPORTWASHINGTONREPORT by LeeVan Wychen, Director of Science Policy

COURT STOPS NATIONWIDEIMPLEMENTATION OF WOTUSEXPANSION RULEAn Ohio federal appeals court

ordered a nationwide hold on theWaters of the United States (WOTUS)rule on October 9, amid disparate rul-ings by courts around the country onthe EPA’s ability to define whichwaters fall under the CleanWaterAct.The stay was granted so the court

may determine jurisdiction on theseveral pending WOTUS lawsuitschallenging the rule, and sort outconfusion about its requirements. ANorth Dakota federal district courthad blocked enforcement of the rule in13 states inAugust. The EPAsaid afterthe August ruling that it would stillenforce the rule in the rest of thenation even though numerous law-suits to overturn it were still pendingin other federal courts.The EPA and Army Corps of Engi-

neers first proposed the WOTUS rulein April 2014 and finalized it in May2015. The rule has been controversialfrom the start because it greatly ex-pands the jurisdiction of the CleanWaterAct by adding some twomillionacres of streams and 20 million acresof wetlands.The Ohio federal appeals court

decision, available here, was agreedupon 2 – 1 by the three-judge panel.“A stay allows for a more deliberatedetermination whether this exercise ofexecutive power, enabled by Congressand explicated by the Supreme Court,is proper under the dictates of federallaw. A stay temporarily silences thewhirlwind of confusion that springsfrom uncertainty about the require-ments of the new rule and whetherthey will survive legal testing,” theopinion states. “A stay honors the

policy of cooperative federalism thatinforms the CleanWaterAct andmustattend the shared responsibility forsafeguarding the nation’s waters.”The stay in implementation will

only last until the judges determinewhether the law gives them authorityover the measure or the case must beremanded to a district court. What-ever the court decides will have to bein line with a ruling from the 11th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals, which isconsidering the same issue. If the cir-cuit courts don’t agree, the jurisdic-tional issue will have to be decided bythe Supreme Court, which could takeseveral years.A better fix to all of this would be

for Congress to pass the bipartisanFederal Water Quality Protection Act(H.R. 1732, S. 1140). This legislationwould repeal theWOTUS rule and re-quire the administration to develop analternative rule in consultation withstate and local governments. In May,the House voted 261-155 to pass H.R.1732. In the Senate, S. 1140 was passedby the Environment and PublicWorksCommittee in June, but is awaiting avote from the full Senate. The Admin-istration said it would likely veto theHouse and Senate bills, so a two-thirds majority would be needed inboth chambers.

WEED SCIENCE SOCIETIESCOMMENT ON EPA MILKWEEDAND MONARCH PLANEarlier this year, the White House’s

Office of Science and TechnologyPolicy issued the Pollinator ResearchAction Plan. The plan focuses on in-creasing honeybee and monarch but-terfly numbers through the creationandmaintenance of pollinator habitat.Following that, EPA published a

white paper for comment titled “RiskManagementApproach to IdentifyingOptions for Protecting the MonarchButterfly.” The National and RegionalWeed Science Societies (WSSA,APMS,NCWSS, NEWSS, SWSS, and WSWS)submitted the following comments:

Our scientific societies are non-profit professional associations ofacademic research, extension,government, and industry scientistscommitted to improving the knowl-edge and management of weeds inmanaged and natural ecosystems.We appreciate the opportunity tocomment on EPA’s white papertitled “Risk Management Approachto Identifying Options for Protect-ing the Monarch Butterfly.”As stated in the white paper, this

is the start of a process of stake-holder input and collaboration thatwill balance weed managementneeds with the conservation ofmilkweed for protecting themonarch butterfly. We are happy tobe part of that process and wouldlike to emphasize the followingpoints:

1. More research is needed onmilkweed species (Asclepias spp.).2. Consideration for the manage-ment of herbicide resistant weeds.3. Utilizing noncropped areas formilkweed habitat.4. A complex issue without a “onesize fits all” answer.

More research is needed on milk-weed species (Asclepias spp.)There are 100 plus species of

Asclepias across the United States.While some research has been doneon common milkweed (Asclepias



syriaca), there is a paucity of scien-tific information on the Asclepi-adaceae family, whose members arethe main food source for monarchbutterfly larvae. Because commonmilkweed typically does not driveweed management decisions, therehas been little public or privateinvestment on researching thisperennial weed’s long term growthand reproduction, population dy-namics, response to herbicides,impact on crop yield, and distribu-tion. We agree with the white paperthat this type of scientific informa-tion will be crucial in developingoptions to conserve monarchbutterfly habitat.

Consideration for the managementof herbicide resistant weedsWe believe it is critical for theAgency to balance weed manage-ment needs, especially the manage-ment of herbicide resistant weeds,with efforts to assist the monarchbutterfly. Programs for herbicide-resistance management shouldemploy the following best manage-ment practices:

1. Understand the biology of theweeds present.2. Use a diversified approach towardweed management focused on pre-venting weed seed production andreducing the number of weed seedin the soil seedbank.3. Plant into weed-free fields andthen keep fields as weed free aspossible.4. Plant weed-free crop seed.5. Scout fields routinely.6. Use multiple herbicide mecha-nisms of action (MOAs) that areeffective against the most trouble-some weeds or those most prone toherbicide resistance.7. Apply the labeled herbicide rateat recommended weed sizes.8. Emphasize cultural practices that

suppress weeds by using crop com-petitiveness.9. Use mechanical and biologicalmanagement practices whereappropriate.10. Prevent field-to-field and within-field movement of weed seed orvegetative propagules.11. Manage weed seed at harvestand after harvest to prevent abuildup of the weed seedbank.12. Prevent an influx of weeds intothe field by managing field borders.

Some of the above best manage-ment practices counter what isoutlined in the white paper’s“Analysis and Actions” section thatdiscusses the possibility of loweringherbicide rates, modifying applica-tion timing, or establishing fieldbuffers. These are all critical areasof concern to agricultural producersand should not be considered with-out a thorough discussion withproducers and registrants to gaugetheir impact.

Utilizing noncropped areas formilkweed habitatThe utilization of noncropped

lands to develop perennial milk-weed habitat makes good biologi-cal sense. In general, higherinfestations of perennial plants areexpected in undisturbed areas. Inaddition, transportation rights-of-ways and utility corridors areuniformly distributed across thelandscape which may aid monarchbutterfly migration.

Weed scientists can advocatesteps to promote habitats wherepollinators and other iconic insectssuch as the monarch butterfly canflourish, beginning with the adop-tion of a prudent approach to weedmanagement. While it is crucialthat we control invasive, noxious,and herbicide-resistant weeds that

can overtake crops and nativeplants, other weeds such as com-mon milkweed might be left togrow in areas where it is likely todo no harm. The key is to exercisegood judgment about which weedsto control, when and where.

A complex issue without a “onesize fits all” answerInitiatives like the Monarch

Butterfly Conservation Fund, theIowa Monarch Conservation Con-sortium, and other science-basedconservation initiatives will allowprivate and public landowners todevelop local knowledge of milk-weed species for their area. Milk-weed conservation efforts will varyaccording to the management ofother weed species present in theirarea and there will not be a “onesize fits all” solution. For example,recommending reduced mowing orherbicide use on weeds in ditcheswhere kochia (i.e. tumbleweed) isprevalent could create a publicsafety hazard due to the buildup ofkochia carcasses.

We hope that EPA’s actions areconsistent with the InteragencyPollinator Health Task ForceReport that recognized the impor-tance of evidence-based decisionmaking, collaborative publicprivate partnerships, and expandedresearch that will balance localweed management needs with theconservation of the monarchbutterfly.

We appreciate this opportunityto make initial comments on thewhite paper “Risk ManagementApproach to Identifying Options forProtecting the Monarch Butterfly”and look forward to working withthe Agency on this important topic.

WASHINGTON REPORT CONTINUED from pg 6



CONGRESS PASSES A CONTINUINGRESOLUTION FUNDING GOVERN-MENT THROUGH DEC. 11On Sept. 30, both the House and

Senate passed a continuing resolution(CR) funding the federal governmentat FY 2015 levels through Dec. 11. Itwas a “clean” CR in that it containedno policy riders, but it did include $700million in emergency funding to fightwildfires in the West. Since 1977, therehave been only four Congresses thathave not needed a CR – the mostrecent was almost two decades ago, in1997 – and lawmakers have sent thepresident an average of six CRs peryear to avoid shutdowns. Before Con-gress can decide on how to fund theremainder of FY 2016, they need topass a federal highway bill that expireson Oct. 29 (it has already received 34short-term extensions over the past sixyears) and pass a debt limit increaseso the U.S. doesn’t default on its $18.1trillion debt in early November.

WEED RISK ASSESSMENTMODELS PROVE UNRELIABLE ATPREDICTING WHICH BIOFUELCROPS ARE LIKELY TO BECOMEINVASIVE WEEDSThe following WSSA press release

highlighted a paper published in thelatest issue of Invasive Plant Scienceand Management by L. Smith, D.Tekiela, and J. Barney titled: “Predict-ing Biofuel Invasiveness: A RelativeComparison to Crops and Weeds.” Iam redistributing this release becausethis paper represents a shift in policyon how we might “weed out” biofuelcandidate species. Past biofuel policyrecommendations have relied heavilyon the outcomes of weed risk assess-ments conducted by APHIS.

WSSA Press Release: Several of theplants grown as biofuel crops haveproved to be invaders in some envi-ronments – spreading rapidly and

overwhelming surrounding naturalecosystems. Concerns about theseweedy tendencies have led many tocontend that risk assessments shouldbe conducted before any bioenergycrop becomes widely cultivated. Anew study featured in the journalInvasive Plant Science and Manage-ment, though, shows that current“gold-standard” weed risk assessmenttechniques simply aren’t up to thetask.Scientists at Virginia Tech used two

of the best-respected and most widelyused weed risk assessment models todevelop invasive species risk scoresfor three categories of plants. Theyassessed 16 bioenergy crops, 14 agro-nomic crops and 10 known invasiveweeds introduced for agronomicpurposes.Both models failed to reliably distin-

guish weeds from crops. For example,cereal rye received a higher risk scorethan kudzu, which is a widespreadand damaging invader across theSoutheast.“We found the majority of all the

species we evaluated had high weedrisk assessment scores, including cropsthat we predicted would score low,”said Jacob Barney Ph.D., assistant pro-fessor of Invasive Plant Ecology at Vir-ginia Tech. “It is clear we should becautious about using current riskassessment models in setting biofuelspolicy.”In the absence of effective risk mod-

els, the Virginia Tech research teamstressed the importance of field evalu-ations to determine whether crops areescaping field borders.

NAS GE CROPS STUDY TO BERELEASED IN SPRING OF 2016Many people around the world have

a wide range of questions and opin-ions about the agronomic, environ-mental, socioeconomic, and healthimpacts of genetically engineered (GE)

crops, and claims and research thatextol both the benefits and the risks ofthese crops have created a confusinglandscape for the public and for policymakers.An ongoing study by the National

Academies of Sciences, Engineering,and Medicine (NAS) seeks to addressthe confusion. The goal is to bring anindependent, objective voice to thesometimes contentious debate aroundgenetic engineering of crop plants. Thestudy is reviewing current under-standing of the socioeconomic, agro-nomic, environmental, and healtheffects of GE crops. In addition toassessing whether initial concerns andpromises have been realized since theintroduction of GE crops, it is alsofocused on the opportunities and chal-lenges related to genetic-engineeringtechnologies coming down the pikesuch as RNA-interference (RNAi) tech-nology. WSSAmember Carol Mallory-Smith from Oregon State is one of thetwenty scientists serving on the com-mittee that is conducting the study.The committee plans to complete thestudy and publish its report in thespring of 2016.Since the launch of the study last

year, the committee has heard from 80presenters at a series of public meet-ings and webinars on a wide range oftopics. All the presentations wererecorded. Weed scientists may be par-




Committee chair Fred Gould, Professor ofEntomology at North Carolina StateUniversity, outlines the study’s objectivesin this short video.http://nas-sites.org/ge-crops/2015/02/19/study-objectives-video/

ticularly interested in: 1) Pest Manage-ment Practices Workshop, whichincluded a panel on ContemporaryPractices for Suppressing Weeds; 2) awebinar on USAgricultural Extension,which included a presentation by Dal-las Peterson, Professor and ExtensionWeed Specialist, Kansas State Univer-sity; 3) a presentation by AndreasWeber, Head of the Institute of PlantBiochemistry, University of Dussel-dorf, on converting C3 plants to C4plants; and 4) an introduction to RNAitechnology and a discussion of strate-gies for using plant mediated RNAi incrop protection.More about the NAS study, includ-

ing all the meeting and webinarrecordings, can be found at the studywebsite, http://nas-sites.org/ge-crops.If you have comments for the commit-tee, they can be sent through the web-site, and you can stay informed aboutthe study by subscribing to the emailnewsletter or following the study onTwitter:@NASciences_Ag, #GECropStudy.

THE NEXT GREAT GMODEBATE – RNAi?Agood article in theMIT Technology

Review on the various issues sur-rounding the advancement of RNAinterference technology for pest man-agement:http://www.technologyreview.com/

featuredstory/540136/the-next-great-gmo-debate/

UPDATE ON BROMUS TECTORUMBIOCONTROL AGENTManagement of Bromus tectorum

(downy brome, cheatgrass) remains ahot topic on several fronts as it fuelswildfires in theWest and destroys sagegrouse habitat. The New York Timesrecently published the following arti-cle: “Researcher Finds Way to FightCheatgrass, a Western Scourge.” Thearticle provides a nice update on the

progress being made for a couplestrains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, anative soil bacterium that inhibits rootgrowth in Bromus tectorum, Tae-niatherum caput-medusae, and Aegilopscylindrica. EPA approved the use ofPseudomonas fluorescens strain D7 as abiopesticide in August 2014. Dr. AnnKennedy with USDA-ARS discoveredand developed an application methodfor the bacterial strains. While the bac-terium isn’t a silver bullet for eradicat-ing cheatgrass, the biocontrol agentcan be a critical component in an area-wide cheatgrass management pro-gram that should be modeled after thesuccessful TEAM Leafy Spurge areawide management program.

SAGE GROUSE NOT TO BELISTED AS ENDANGERED SPECIESThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(FWS) announced on Sept. 22, that itwould not list the greater sage-grouseunder the Endangered Species Act.This decision represents a change ofdirection for FWS, which announcedin 2010 that the grouse was “war-ranted for listing,” but now says thatnew information about the status ofthe species, potential threats, regula-tory mechanisms, and conservationefforts by Federal, State, and privatelandowners indicate that listing is notwarranted.There is no shortage of controversy

on either side of this decision. AWash-ington Post article by Darryl Fearstitled “Decision not to list sage grouseas endangered is called life saver bysome, death knell by others” does agood job of capturing this debate andproviding an overall “big picture” inthis precedent setting conservationeffort. No matter your political per-suasion, there is still much researchthat needs to be done on restoring thesage brush habitat of the sage grouseand more importantly, on developingand establishing an area wide weed

management program for Bromus tec-torum. These sentiments are capturedin an excellent commentary by SteveWilliams, former Director of FWS from2002–2005 and now president of theWildlife Management Institute (WMI).His commentary “Sage Grouse ListingDecision is Hugh Accomplishment,But Not the Finish Line” is publishedin WMI’s Outdoor News Bulletin.

EPA PROPOSES CHANGES TOCERTIFICATION AND TRAININGREQUIREMENTS FOR PESTICIDEAPPLICATORSOn August 24, EPA proposed

changes to the existing regulationsconcerning the certification and train-ing standards that have been imple-mented by individual states for thepast 40 years. The proposed changesare intended to improve the compe-tency of certified applicators of re-stricted use pesticides (RUPs), increaseprotection for noncertified applicatorsof RUPs operating under the directsupervision of a certified applicatorthrough enhanced pesticide safetytraining and standards for supervisionof noncertified applicators, and estab-lish a minimum age requirement forcertified and noncertified applicators.The proposed rule will have significantimpacts on state lead agencies, univer-sity extension programs, and theapplicators subject to regulatory certi-fication. The proposed rule is complex.It includes numerous new, revised,and deleted definitions, and wouldchange the way both state lead agen-cies and university extension pro-grams do business with the public.

Chart – Comparisons of the major newproposed protections to the existingprotections

Full Rule Proposal – Pesticides: Certi-fication of Pesticide Applicators




EPA is accepting comments on theproposal until November 23, 2015.However, due to the complexity of therule, many stakeholder groups are ask-ing EPA for an additional 60 days. Tocomment, please see docket number

EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0183at regulations.gov.

Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D.Science Policy DirectorNational and Regional Weed ScienceSocieties

[email protected]: 202-746-4686www.wssa.net


WSSA HOME PAGEACCESSED AT:

www.wssa.net


11th International Symposium on Adjuvants for Agrochemicals, 20-24 June 2016,Monterey, California, USA: Creating, Bridging and Sharing the Values of Adjuvant Technology

When you submit an abstract by 1 September 2015 or register with us beginning December 2015 at www.isaa2016.org, you will be able to enjoy these confirmed speakers and workshops:

Paul Hodges, Chairman, International eChem Dr. Glenda Humiston, Vice President for the U. of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, formerly California state director of USDA Rural Development Workshop on adjuvant registrations in the Western US, presented by Jim Yowell, President, Spring Trading Company. Workshop on app development for agriculture as uniquely performed in California, presented by Robert Tse, Community Planning and Development Specialist with USDA Rural Development.

Visit www.isaa2016.org and join these sponsors!

Our ISAA 2016 Partner: Other ISAA 2016 sponsors:

For further information on ISAA 2016, contact the organizers. Solito Sumulong, ISAA 2016 Organizing Chair, Loveland Products, Crop Production Services, Loveland, CO, USA,

+1 970-685-3579, [email protected] Andrew Malec, ISAA 2016 Scientific Chair, Advanced BioCatalytics, Irvine, CA, USA,

+1 949-394-0352, [email protected]

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THOMAS TROST BAUMAN1939 – 2015

Dr. Thomas Trost Bauman, Professor Emeritus, passed away Saturday, July11, 2015, at his home in West Lafayette.Born September 11, 1939, in Lafayette, he was the son of Ronald Hawkins

Bauman and Martha G. (Trost) Bauman. He is survived by his loving wife ofnearly 50 years, Nancy L. (Sahnd). They were married onAugust 14, 1965, inCincinnati, Ohio.

Also surviving are his three children, Bob of Seattle, MaryBeth (Ken) Johnson of WestLafayette, and John (Emily) of West Lafayette; four grandchildren, Olivia and Luke John-son, and Gretchen and Grant Bauman; his three siblings Ronald “Bill” (Irmgard) Baumanof Los Angeles, CA, Elizabeth “Sis” (Leslie) Graham of Lake Forest, IL and Naples, FL,and Richard (Sharon) Bauman of Punta Gorda, FL; aswell as five nieces and seven nephews.Tom attendedWest Lafayette schools and graduated fromWLHS in 1957 where he was

active within the student body in numerous roles including student council president and1956 football MVP. He remained close to his classmates and treasured their friendships,often organizing frequent class reunions and still attending Friday night games. As a life-long West Lafayette resident, he often served as a West Lafayette and Purdue Universityamateur historian and tour guide for those visiting from out of town.He attended Purdue University, receiving a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Agriculture. He was

a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Following in his father’s footsteps as a pro-fessor at his almamater, he was appointed to the Botany and Plant Pathology Department,with a focus on Extension and Research. Tom and his students were well published inboth scientific and Extension journals. He was awardedMaster Farmer distinction in 2010.Tom’s work was acknowledged worldwide and he was fortunate to frequently travelinternationally to share his work; he particularly enjoyed his extensive efforts in Braziland remained close friends with many Brazilian scientists.Although Tomwas internationally recognized, he was humble and took his greatest joy

in helping to train young people, future scientists and simply farming the black Indianasoil, whether it be corn, beans, weeds, or the greatest of hybrid sweet corn. Tom was acaring, kind, concerned person, especially sensitive to his graduate students and thosewho worked with him in the field. He respected Indiana farmers and enjoyed his manymeetings with them, particularly his annual field day at the Purdue Agronomy Farm.Tom was a member of Central Presbyterian Church where he served as a Trustee.Tom loved his children and grandchildren. He attended almost every one of their

sporting events, and enjoyed helping with homework, especially as a multi-generationalmath tutor. Tom remained jovial, kind, even-tempered andwith quick wit and a wry smilethroughout his lengthy illness.A visitation was held from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm in the Central Presbyterian Church

parlor with a memorial service following at 2:30 pm on Friday, July 17, 2015. In lieu offlowers, contributions may be made to the Central Presbyterian Building and GroundsFund; West Lafayette Schools Education Foundation, or St. Elizabeth Hospice.You may sign the guest book or leave memories at www.soller-baker.com

EDWARD ROY HIGGINSAUGUST 12, 2015

Greensboro, NC: Edward Roy Higgins, PhD, 74, passed away August 12, 2015, with hisfamily by his side. His memorial service was held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, October 31, 2015, atthe Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and the family gathered with friends following theservice in the Haywood Duke Room.A native of Caribou, Maine, Ed graduated in the class of 1959 at Caribou High School. In

1963 he received a BS degree in Agronomy at the University of Maine and was a member ofthe Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He attended Pennsylvania State University where hereceived a MS degree in Agricultural Science and a PhD degree in Physical Chemistry.Ed joined the Agricultural Chemicals Division, Geigy Chemical Corporation in 1970 as a

R&D Field Research Representative in the Northeast Region. He progressed rapidly throughthe development stages for a R&D Rep and achieved the coveted title of Senior Scientist. Hewas active in professional societies and served as President of the NortheasternWeed ScienceSociety.Hemoved to the CompanyHeadquarters located in Greensboro, NC in 1987 and joined the

department of Technical Sales Service. His wealth of knowledge pertaining to field agricul-tural practices, associated crop pests and the company products proved a valuable asset inaddressing customer’s special situations. He was especially skilled and effective in dealingwith customers, product liability claims and always provided excellent product steward-ship. He later became Director of this group.Ed was a person of integrity, a competent scientist, a true professional, respected by his

colleagues and had many positive relationships with university co-operators and the com-pany’s customers. He made many contributions to the success of the company. He retiredfrom the company in 2001 and continued to work as a part-time consultant for several years.With a fine sense of humor, Ed always shared a broad smile and greeted people with a

hearty handshake or a hug. Company colleagues often referred to Ed as a “best friend,” “jollyguy,” “one of a kind” and “full of his own brand of wit.”He will be dearly missed by his many friends and colleagues in Ciba-Geigy, Novartis and

Syngenta.Ed enjoyed landscaping, carpentering, traveling, boating, particupating in community

programs, University of Maine and Penn State sports and spending time with the people heloved.Preceding him in death were his mother, Ruth Libby Higgins, and father, Clyde Elwin

Higgins.Ed is survived by his wife, Janet L. Dinsmore; daughter, Kari Higgins Rowley and son-in-

law, Robeert G. Rowley and grandchildren, Sydney M. Rowley, Alec R. Rowley, Thomas H.Rowley, all from Seneca Falls, NY; son, Kevin E. Higgins, and daughter-in-law, LaLannie M.Ovenshire, and grandchildren, Brandyn T. Higgins, Bethany M. Ovenshire, all from Water-loo, NY; sister, Barbara Walker and brother-in-law, James V. Walker, from Eugene, OR;nephews, James H.Walker fromAustin, TX, Kent E. Walker from Portland, OR; sister-in-law,DianeAllen, brother-in-law, DonAllen fromMadison, CT; and niece, Christina (Tina) Allen,Brookly, NY.Memorial contributions may be made to the Bicentennial Gardens, Edward R. Higgins

Memorial Fund, 1001 Fourth St, Greensboro, NC 27407; or to the Greensboro Civitan Club,% Dr. Albert Lochra, 300 Miltwood Dr., Greensboro, NC 27455.



I MPOR TAN T ADDRESSESPRESIDENTDallas PetersonKansas State UniversityTelephone: (785) 532-0405e-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTKevin BradleyUniversity of MissouriTelephone: (573) 882-4039e-mail: [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENTJanis McFarlandSyngenta Crop ProtectionTelephone: (336) 707-5873e-mail: [email protected]

PAST-PRESIDENTJoe DiTomasoUniversity of California-DavisTelephone: (530) 754-8715e-mail: [email protected]

CONSTITUTION/MOPSPeter PorpigliaTelephone: (949) 221-6116e-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARYLarry SteckelUniversity of TennesseeTelephone: (731) 425-4705e-mail: [email protected]

TREASURERRick BoydstonUSDA-ARSTelephone: (509) 786-9267e-mail: [email protected]

NEWSLETTER EDITORS:

WSSAElizabeth SimpsonBox 450Nampa, AB Canada T0H 2R0Telephone: (780) 322-3737Fax: (780) 322-3760e-mail: [email protected]

Aquatic Plant Mgmt. Society (APMS)Cody GrayTelephone: (719) 886-4708e-mail: [email protected]

NEWSSPrasanta Bhowmike-mail: [email protected]

NCWSSReid SmedaTelephone: (573) 882-1329e-mail: [email protected]

SWSSEric PalmerTelephone: (662) 822-1584e-mail: [email protected]

WSWSMarty SchraerTelephone: (208) 250-0937e-mail: [email protected]

CWSS-SCMHugh J. BeckieTelephone: (306) 385-9350e-mail: [email protected]

IWSSDr. Samunder SinghDepartment of AgronomyCCS Haryana Agricultural UniversityHisar 125 004, IndiaVoice: 91 94160 07242e-mail: [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONSSarah WardColorado State UniversityTelephone: (406) 491-2102e-mail: [email protected]

DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE POLICYLee Van Wychen5720 Glenmullen PlaceAlexandria, VA 22303Telephone: (202) 746-4686e-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE SECRETARYJoyce LancasterP. O. Box 1897Lawrence, KS 66044Telephone: (785) 843-1235, ext. 250Fax (785) 843-1274e-mail: [email protected]

IWSSAlbert J. FischerVegetable Crops DeptUniversity of CaliforniaOne Shields Ave.Davis, CA 95616Telephone: (530) 752-7386Fax: (530) 752-4604e-mail: [email protected]

CASTJames KellsMichigan State UniversityTelephone: (517) 355-0271, Ext. 1103e-mail: [email protected]

AIBS (Our Representative)Lee Van Wychen5720 Glenmullen PlaceAlexandria, VA 22303Telephone: (202) 746-4686e-mail: [email protected]

GRAD STUDENT REPRand MerchantTexas A&M UniversityTelephone: (229) 325-9036e-mail: [email protected]

NIFA FELLOWDonn ShillingUniversity of GeorgiaDept of Crop and Soil Sciences3111 Plant Sciences BldgAthens, GA 30602e-mail: [email protected]

EPA LIAISONMichael BarrettUniversity of KentuckyPlant and Soil Sciences Department409 Plant Science BuildingLexington, KY 40456-0312Telephone: (859) 218-0712e-mail: [email protected]

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTSDATE EVENT LOCATION CONTACT

November 23–27, 2015 Canadian Weed Science Society/ Westin Hotel www.weedscience.caSociété canadienne de malherbologie Edmonton, Alberta(CWSS-SCM) Annual Meeting Canada

December 7–10, 2015 NCWSS Annual Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana www.ncwss.org

January 3–7, 2016 Northeastern Plant, Pest, and Sheraton Society Hills Hotel www.neppsc.orgSoils Conference Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 9–13, 2016 Plant & Animal Genome Conference San Diego, California www.intlpag.org(Weeds workshop is January 12)

January 13–15, 2016 California Weed Science Society Hyatt Regency-Sacramento www.cwss.org68th Annual Conference Sacramento, California

February 8–11, 2016 Joint WSSA and Southern Weed San Juan Sheraton www.wssa.netScience Society Annual Meeting San Juan, Puerto Rico

March 7–10, 2016 WSWS Annual Meeting Albuquerque, New Mexico www.wsweedscience.org

June 19–25, 2016 7th IWSC Annual Conference Prague, Czech Republic

June 20–24, 2016 11th International Symposium on Monterey, California www.isaa2016.orgAdjuvants for Agrochemicals

2017 Weed Science Society of America Tucson, Arizona www.wssa.netAnnual Meeting



Elizabeth Simpson10 Jadyn Lane

Brandon Manitoba, CanadaR7A 6W7

[email protected]: 204.720.1940

october, 2015 newsletter - weed science society of...

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