Morningglory
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Morningglories, while welcome in gardens, are a significant threat to corn and soybean yield. In fact, if left to compete all season, a single morningglory plant per foot of row has the potential to reduce soybean yield by a staggering 50%.1
- Common names: Pitted morningglory, tall morningglory, ivyleaf morningglory
- Scientific name: Ipomoea lacunosa, Ipomoea purpurea, Ipomoea hederacea
- Cotyledons: Two, notched leaves
- Leaf shape: Heart-shaped or lobe-shaped
- Stems: Narrow and fibrous, with tendrils
- Flowers: Trumpet-shaped in many colors, including purple, pink, blue and white
- Reproduction: Seed pods
- Conditions for development: Typically found in the southern and central United States where temperatures are warmer, near 85 F1
Fast Facts on Morningglory:
- Morningglories typically germinate in early summer but can also germinate later in the season after crops have already been established.
- Morningglories can produce more than 15,000 seeds per plant, depending on the species.
- Morningglory leaves are either heart-shaped or lobe-shaped and range from 2 to 5 inches in length and 1½ to 4 inches in width.
- Morningglories can be harder to control with preemergence herbicides because of their impenetrable seed coat and large seed size. These invasive weeds also have a natural tolerance to glyphosate.
Control tips:
Effective management of morningglory is crucial to maintaining yield and maximizing profitability. A combination of cultural practices and the strategic use of herbicides is key to controlling morningglory infestations.
- Implement cultural practices to make crops more competitive with morningglory and improve the consistency of the herbicide program. Cultural practices may include:
- Plant soybeans in narrow rows to speed up soybean canopy formation and reduce the availability of quality sunlight at the soil surface for morningglory germination. Narrow row spacing has been shown to reduce the impact of morningglory on soybean yield by 19% when compared with 30-inch-or-wider row spacing.1
- Utilize higher soybean seeding rates
- Rotate crops
- Employ tillage where appropriate
- Use timely herbicide applications to protect crop yield throughout the growing season. Corteva Agriscience offers multiple weed control solutions for unrivaled protection against morningglories and other tough, glyphosate-resistant weeds.
- Control existing morningglories with a preplant burndown herbicide application. Do not plant into existing stands of morningglory.
- Use a program approach to weed control, with multiple modes of action and the use of the full rate of nonglyphosate, preemergence herbicides.
- Make scouting a priority 10 to 14 days after initial control. If morningglories escape the initial control or emerge after the postemergence herbicide application, consider a second application.
- Work with your local Corteva Agriscience representative. Your local representative can help develop a herbicide program that makes sense for your customers’ unique acres, including flexible options for proven control of morningglories.
1United Soybean Board. 2016. Morningglory Management in Soybeans.
https://extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/Pub/pdf/miscpubs/mx1131.pdf
Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.