The Root Habits of Certain Weeds of Southeastern Nebraska

Abstract

Extensive knowledge of the underground parts of many native and cultivated plants has been gained in recent years, but a corresponding knowledge of the root habits of weeds has not been obtained, although it is generally recognized that such data are important in developing techniques of weed control. In the present study, excavations were made of the entire root systems of twenty-one annual and perennial weeds common to southeastern Nebraska. The investigation was undertaken with the hope that the work may be extended by others until a sufficient body of facts relative to the underground systems of weeds may be accumulated to serve as a basis for developing scientific methods of weed control. The results of this study are not entirely in agreement with the findings of certain investigators, the root systems proving to be much more extensive than is indicated in the limited number of previous studies.