Weed · Maize (corn), sunflower and sugar beet
Jimsonweed: find it before the maize hides it
Datura stramonium
A few plants can be enough for a load to carry seed. We fly the maize while it is still low and give you the position of each jimsonweed (thorn apple) we spot, so the crew or the spray goes straight to it.
We have not flown this problem ourselves yet. We work it out with you, on your field.
The problem
A toxic plant that ends up in the trailer
Jimsonweed is a large broadleaf weed that competes hard with the crop. But what worries buyers is not what it takes: the plant is toxic and its seeds are harvested along with the grain. Grain buyers set strict limits on these toxins, and a load with jimsonweed seed can be hard to sell.
Once the maize closes over the rows, jimsonweed stays hidden until harvest. From the field edge you do not see it in time, and afterwards it is too late.
How it works
Fly early, while you can still see it
1
We fly while the maize is low
With the maize still low. Later, the maize covers the rows and jimsonweed can no longer be seen from above.
2
We send you the map
Each plant or patch with its position. You know whether there are a few or a big stretch.
3
You decide how to remove it
If there are few, the crew goes straight to them, guided by a phone, to pull them. If it is a patch, you treat only that patch.
Where it shows up
Also in sunflower and sugar beet
- Maize (corn)
- Sunflower
- Sugar beet
In sunflower and sugar beet, jimsonweed sticks up above the crop in summer. The flight goes before the sunflower closes over, or in sugar beet in spring if you plan to spray; to pull by hand, you can fly later, but always before it sets fruit. Whoever pulls it should wear gloves and goggles: the plant is toxic.
What farmers ask us
Jimsonweed: your field questions
If there are only a few plants, is it worth it?
Yes, because of what they carry. Each plant makes seed, and that seed is harvested with the grain and is hard to separate. Knowing where each one is lets you remove them without walking the whole field.
Can’t you see it from the tractor?
While the maize is low, sometimes. The problem is the plants in the middle of the field and the ones that come up late. From above we see the whole field at once and mark each plant we spot; you confirm on foot.
Which herbicide should I use?
It depends on the crop, and what is authorised changes from year to year. Before you spray, check in your country’s official pesticide register that the product is approved for your crop (in the UK, the HSE register of authorised products; in the US, the label registered with the EPA and your state), or ask us. We do not recommend products.
Know someone this would help?
Send them this page. If they have jimsonweed in their fields, you save them some searching.