Herbicide Resistant Horseweed in New York and Possible Implications
Mike Basedow, Tree Fruit Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Horseweed (also called marestail) is a frequently occurring species in New York. It can be found growing in a variety of habitats, including along roadsides, in field crop and vegetable operations, and in berries, grapes, and tree fruit. Often considered a winter annual, horseweed has a wide germination window and seedlings can emerge in the spring, summer, and fall. Herbicide resistance, particularly to glyphosate, is widespread in the US and has recently been identified in New York (see the 2022 summer issue of Fruit Quarterly https://nyshs.org/fruit-quarterly/). Many of these populations were collected from soybean systems where glyphosate is frequently used for managing unwanted vegetation. Two New York populations, collected from a vineyard and an apple orchard in the Finger Lakes Region, were found to be susceptible to glyphosate but resistant to labeled rates of paraquat. Paraquat resistance in horseweed has been formally confirmed previously in Belgium (nurseries), Canada (peaches), Japan (orchards, grapes, roadsides, railways), California (almonds), Delaware (soybeans) and Mississippi (soybeans) (https://weedscience.org/Home.a... ).
Herbicide Resistant Horseweed in New York and Possible Implications (pdf; 1849KB)

Upcoming Events
Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
March 6, 2026 : Managing the Invasive Swede Midge Webinar
Swede midge is an invasive fly that causes serious economic losses to brassica crops. Due to its small size and hidden feeding habits, swede midge is often called an "invisible pest" and damage may be misdiagnosed. In this webinar, we will review the swede midge life cycle and crop damage symptoms, current management recommendations, new research findings, and highlights from on-farm case studies with a focus on organic management.
New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People (Hudson Valley)
March 10, 2026 : New Farm Manager Skills Day - Get the Tools You Need to Grow Your People
Millbrook, NY
Are you moving into a supervisory farm management role this season and want to get off to a good start? Are you an experienced manager who wants to connect with other "people" managers and work on your skills? This one-day workshop is for you!
SPARC WSU Tree Fruit Heat School
March 11, 2026
As part of our multi-state SPARC SCRI project on mitigating orchard heat and cold stress, the WSU Tree Fruit Heat School will focus on understanding and managing heat-related challenges in apple and pear production. The program brings together research-based insights and applied discussions on sunburn physiology and mitigation, red color development in apples and pears, and the impacts of heat on postharvest storage and fruit quality. Each session will include an expert presentation, followed by a panel discussion with panelists from across the US.
