You make the call !
by Bob Hartzler
January 21, 2001 -  While breezing through a recent issue of Wallace's Farmer, my attention was grabbed by an advertisement touting the ability of a herbicide to stop waterhemp seed production.  What caught my eye was the photograph of waterhemp seed, which to me (and my colleagues)  looked more like lambsquarter than waterhemp.  Since proper weed identification is the first step in an integrated pest management program, this was something not to be taken likely.  I called the local sales rep for the product and inquired about this ad, warning him that this grievous error might warrant inclusion in the Herbicide Ad Hall of Shame.  Wanting to avoid this at all costs, the rep was able to locate the person who actually collected the seed for the photo.  The collector of the seed vows that the seed indeed was collected from a waterhemp plant, and that any confusion is due to the image being electronically 'enhanced'.  Since we want to give this person the benefit of the doubt, and do not want to jeopardize the credibility of this page, I have deleted any reference to the source of this ad.   However, I'll let our readers make the call on whether this is indeed waterhemp seed (click here to see side by side comparison).

 Prepared by Bob Hartzler, extension weed management specialist, Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University