A survey of county extension agents was conducted in 1998 to determine the most troublesome weeds in corn, cotton, forages and pastures, peanut, small grains, soybean, tobacco, and vegetables in Georgia. The most troublesome weed statewide averaged over all crops was sicklepod. It was the most troublesome weed in cotton and soybean and among the four most troublesome weeds in corn, peanut, tobacco, and vegetables. Sicklepod was found in each of the nine climatological districts and in all the crops surveyed. Perennial nutsedge species were the second most troublesome weeds in Georgia. They ranked as the most troublesome weeds in tobacco and vegetables and were among the top five most troublesome weeds in corn, cotton, peanut, and soybean. Pigweed species were ranked third averaged over all the crops surveyed and were the second most troublesome weeds in cotton and vegetables and among the top five most troublesome species in corn, soybean, and tobacco. Morningglory species were listed as troublesome in six of the eight crops surveyed and ranked fourth overall. Similarly, Texas panicum was found in all districts and was the fifth most troublesome weed species. Texas panicum was the most troublesome weed in corn and among the top five most troublesome weeds in peanut, soybean, and tobacco. Florida beggarweed was the most troublesome weed in peanut, the second most troublesome weed in tobacco, and a top-10 weed species in corn, cotton, soybean, and vegetables, resulting in a ranking of sixth overall. Wild radish, large crabgrass, and tropic croton were the seventh through the ninth most troublesome weeds. Wild radish was the most troublesome weed of small grains and the sixth most troublesome weed of vegetables. Large crabgrass was the second most troublesome weed of forages and pastures and was reported in six other crops. Tropic croton was a troublesome weed in seven of the eight crops surveyed and was among the top five most troublesome weeds of cotton and peanut. The 10th most troublesome weed overall was bahiagrass, the most troublesome weed of forages and pastures.
Nomenclature: Bahiagrass, Paspalum notatum Fluegge #3 PASNO; Florida beggarweed, Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. # DEDTO; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis L. # DIGSA; morningglory species, Ipomoea spp.; nutsedge species, Cyperus spp.; pigweed species, Amaranthus spp.; sicklepod, Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwin and Barnaby # CASOB; Texas panicum, Panicum texanum Buckl. # PANTE; tropic croton, Croton glandulosus var. septentrionalis Muell.-Arg. # CVNGS; wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum L. # RAPSN; corn, Zea mays L.; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L.; peanut, Arachis hypogaea L.; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.; tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L.
Additional index words: Economically important weeds, weed distributions, weed population shifts, weed survey.
Abbreviations: C, Central district; EC, East-Central district; NC, North-Central district; NE, Northeastern district; NW, Northwestern district; SC, South-Central district; SE, Southeastern district; SW, Southwestern district; SWSS, Southern Weed Science Society; WC, West-Central district.
