Corn Spurry (Spergula arvensis L.)

About Corn Spurry:

Corn Spurry weed is an annual plant that reproduces by the release of their seeds. The germination period of this weed is in autumn or spring and may be prolonged into summer, if fields are irrigated. Corn Spurry has a compound called oxalate in it, and when consumed by livestock can be toxic to their health.

Family: Pink Family (Caryophyllaceae)

Corn Spurry Scouting and Prevention:

The Corn Spurry either has many stems or just one stem that stands from 10 to 50 cm tall. They are covered with fine hairs, are bright green, and sometimes can be slightly sticky. Their leaves are quite narrow and about 2 to 5 cm long, slightly rounded in cross-section or flattened. On mature plants, the leaves sit in whorls that are 6 to 30 in a group on each node. They have lots of small flowers that sit on short stalks on the top half of the weed. They have 5 white petals and 5 green sepals, with 10 stamens and 5 styles sitting on top of the small oval shaped seedpod. In a mature plant, the seedpods are bigger than the sepals, which split into 5 divisions that release a lot of flat, rounded, black seeds. Finally, the flowering period of Corn Spurry is from June to October.

Common locations

• - Light sandy soil
• - Chickpea fields
• - Field peas
• - Lentils

Prevention

Prevention of Corn Spurry is less expensive and less time-consuming than trying to control it. Make sure when you are seeding a new area, you are doing so with certified weed-free seeds. If there is an infested area on your property, be sure to drive around, instead of through it. Finally, make sure to give all equipment that has been in infested fields a good clean, to make sure no seeds are transferred.

Corn Spurry Control:

Cultural Control

Corn Spurry is not able to grow from great depths, so regular cultivation can bury portions of the seeds. That being said when seeds are buried it increases the life of the seed, meaning that it will eventually come to the soil surface due to the cultivation. The field should be planted with high-yield varieties in narrow rows with high plant population as soon as ideal soil and weather conditions are met.

Chemical Control

If you are looking for control of Corn Spurry in spring wheat, the best thing you can do is apply chlorsulfuron + 2,4-D herbicide to your crop. If you are looking for control in barley, applying chlorsulfuron gets the job done.

Latin / Alternative Corn Spurry names:

• - Spergula arvensis L.
• - Spurrey
• - Spargoute des champs
• - Spargoute
• - Herbe à Bolduc

Additional Corn Spurry Resources