User:Nickyg123

Overview

Pigweed, or Amaranthus retroflexus, is a species of amaranth plant native to North America that grows as a weed and can be used for fodder. Also known as wild beet, tumble pigweed, and careless weed, pigweed has spread all out across Europe, Asia and pretty much around the globe.

Subtypes

There are nine known types of pigweed: Palmer Pigweed Smooth Pigweed Redroot Pigweed Powell Pigweed Spiny Pigweed Tumble Pigweed Prostrate Pigweed Waterhemp Pigweed Tall Waterhemp Pigweed

All pigweeds are erect summer annual plants with medium-to-large oval leaves and red stems. The largest pigweeds can grow anywhere from three to ten feet above the ground. Pigweeds thrive in hot humid weather, they are tolerable to drought conditions and are known to respond to high levels of available nutrients in the area. They are adapted to avoid shading through rapid stem elongation and compete aggressively against warm season crops and reproduce by prolific seed production. Pigweeds are sexually dimorphic and either male or female, and there is a notable difference: the male flowering structure is soft and oily in texture, while the female is rough and prickly. When young, the different types of species resemble each other real closely.

Stickler.Dale.”Controlling Pigweeds is a Challenge”.High Plains Journal. June 12 2017

In Agriculture

Pigweeds are considered to being one of the fastest growing weeds/plants in the North American Continent.They are known to grow three times as fast as soybeans, and can produce up to 600,000 seeds per plant. Seeds are commonly known for being very small, making them extremely delicate in the seedling stage. In organic production systems, pigweeds can be managed through a combination of: Timely cultivation, flame weeding, and manual removal Stale seedbed Mulching Crop rotations that vary timing of tillage and other operations Cover crops and competitive cash crops Measures to prevent or minimize production of variable seeds

Smith.Robert.”Pigweeds”. University of South Carolina Agriculture and Resources.2017.

Identification

Pigweeds are easy to recognize, yet correct identification of pigweeds can be tedious. Two or more pigweed species often occur together in the same field, significant variation can occur within a species. Majority of pigweeds are tall and comprise of many small, “greenish like flowers”. Yares.Kat.”Pigweed Weed”.Garden Guides. Sept.21.2017

Pigweed Predator

Pigweeds are known to attract one of the most popular beatles in the midwestern U.S, referred as the “Pigweed Flea Beetle” or better known as the Disonycha Glabrata. This beetle has a red and black head, and it’s wing coverings are black. The beatle has two yellow lines on them which become a thin yellow border line. Each yellow line runs down the one side of the midline to the bottom edge of the covering. Other members of the same genus have a similar appearance but differ in width, color, texture and number of lines. They are active from late spring through autumn and are not significant pests in a backyard garden. Writer.Steve. “Pigweed Flea Beetle”. Insect Identification. May 24. 2018.

Citations

1.Yares.Kat.”Pigweed Weed”.Garden Guides. Sept.21.2017 2.Benfer.Adam.”Foods Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere Pigweed”.American Indian Health and Diet. Sept 2016.

3.Smith.Robert.”Pigweeds”. University of South Carolina Agriculture and Resources.2017. 4.Stickler.Dale.”Controlling Pigweeds is a Challenge”.High Plains Journal. June 12 2017. 5.Spiegel.Bill.”Pigweeds”:Know the Enemy”. Successful Farming. July 24. 2016

6. Writer.Steve. “Pigweed Flea Beetle”. Insect Identification. May 24. 2018.