“If you leave waterhemp uncontrolled it can reduce yields by 40 percent in only 10 weeks,” she said. “As a summer annual, we don’t just see one flush of it. From April to October we’re going to see multiple flushes of this weed.”

Instead of growing winter wheat as a cash crop that is planted in the fall, farmers would plant it in early spring instead, then sow soybeans into the standing wheat crop, then kill the wheat when the soybeans emerge.

Decker is looking at how well the growing wheat suppresses early weed growth, and how the stubble after it is taken out keeps weeds out of the growing soybeans

“Any time we have bare soil exposed to sunlight, there’s a chance for weeds to germinate. But when you add a mulch layer that filters the sunlight,” she said. “It inhibits germination, and that is what we want to see.”

Farmers who double-crop wheat with soybeans have the option of using saved seed. That would cut down on expenses.

“It could be a low-cost system if you’re using bin-run wheat, which is what we’re using in all of our trials,” Decker said. “By planting the wheat in spring, we’re not allowing the plant to be exposed to those cold periods and let it head out.