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Conventional and Organic Options for the Control of Woolly Distaff Thistle (Carthamus lanatus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2017

Joseph M. DiTomaso ,
Guy B. Kyser ,
David J. Lewis  and
John A. Roncoroni
Joseph M. DiTomaso*
Affiliation:
Cooperative Extension Weed Specialist and Professor, and Specialist, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
Guy B. Kyser
Affiliation:
Cooperative Extension Weed Specialist and Professor, and Specialist, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
David J. Lewis
Affiliation:
Farm Advisor and Farm Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension, Novato, CA 94947
John A. Roncoroni
Affiliation:
Farm Advisor and Farm Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension, Novato, CA 94947
*
*Corresponding author’s E-mail: jmditomaso@ucdavis.edu
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Abstract

Woolly distaff thistle is a long-lived winter annual that threatens the ranching and dairy industries within the North Coast counties of California, particularly the organic producers. No peer-reviewed publications have documented effective control options or integrated management approaches for this species. We conducted two experiments, each replicated, in Marin County, California. The first compared several conventional herbicides at two timings and rates, while the second compared a conventional herbicide treatment with organic and integrated organic control methods, including an organic herbicide (mixture of capric and caprylic acids). Results of the conventional herbicide treatments showed most spring applications (March or April) of aminopyralid, aminocyclopyrachlor, clopyralid, and combinations of aminopyralid + triclopyr, or aminocyclopyrachlor + chlorsulfuron had greater than 99% control of woolly distaff thistle with fewer than 1.5 seedlings per 27-m2 plot by the end of the growing season. Higher rates were generally necessary to achieve the same level of control with winter (January) applications. In the organic herbicide treatments, the most consistent treatment was a combination of mowing followed by 9% (v/v) or the organic herbicide. This treatment was slightly less effective compared with aminopyralid but did have better than 95% control of woolly distaff thistle. The results of this study provide control options for both conventional and organic ranching practices where woolly distaff thistle is a problem.

Keywords

Aminopyralidaminocyclopyrachlorcapric acidcaprylic acidchlorsulfuronclopyralidtriclopyrwoolly distaff thistle, Carthamus lanatus LChemical weed controlgrasslandherbicideinvasiveinvasive plant controlorganic weed controlrangeland
Type
Research and Education
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 72 - 79
Copyright
© Weed Science Society of America, 2017 

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Footnotes

Associate Editor for this paper: Steven S. Seefeldt, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

References

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