Muthu Bagavathiannan, an assistant professor of weed science and agronomy with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, will hold a free Web seminar at 3 p.m. EST, Feb. 15, to demonstrate a new Palmer amaranth decision tool.
Dubbed PAM, short for Palmer Amaranth Management, the tool is based on Microsoft Excel. It was developed as a collaborative effort among Bagavathiannan and Karen Lindsay, both with Texas A&M AgriLife Research; Jason Norsworthy and Michael Popp of the University of Arkansas; and the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative.
The PAM software draws from existing research knowledge and provides long-term biological and economic implications of various management choices. It takes into account seedbank size and persistence and offers a cost-benefit analysis.
As with other integrated pest management tools, PAM is designed to improve crop production and profitability as well as preserve the long-term viability of available herbicides while minimizing human health risks and economic impacts associated with herbicide resistance, according to a news release.
The seminar will provide a general overview and demonstration of the PAM tool. Users can build their own management program and see for themselves how effective their pigweed management program is and at the same time gauge the economic outcomes of their options.
The tool also predicts the likely risk of resistance developing from their management program.
Register for the seminar by clicking here.
Download the software from the University of Arkansas. It is highly recommended that you also download the user’s manual from the University of Arkansas and read it before using the software. In addition, pay close attention to page 11 of the manual.