How does manure affect weed control?
When you apply manure to your land, you are likely increasing your weed control problems – especially if the manure came from another farm by PAT LYNCH Who knows all the consequences for weed control when manure has been applied? I sure don’t, and neither do any of my learned peers who have worked in this area for years. I realized how little we know about this when I was asked to supply information for a study course on how manure affects weed control. We know certain things about manure and weed spread, but we have to extrapolate the consequences. Weeds can pass intact through the digestive systems of both ruminants and non-ruminants. For small-seeded weeds, there is neither enough acid nor heat to destroy weed seeds germ. Every seed has a layer of protein around the outside. When seeds imbibe moisture, it activates this protein and starts the germination process. You need very high temperatures — in the order of 120-140F — to denature this protein. These temperatures are well abov
