1. Most Common and Troublesome Weeds in
2016 Results for the U.S. & Canada
(195 survey responses)
Most Common and Troublesome Weeds in
Broadleaf Crops, Fruits & Vegetables
1) alfalfa, 2) canola, 3) cotton, 4) fruits & nuts, 5) peanut, 6) pulse crops, 7) soybean, 8) sugarbeets, 9) vegetables- cole crops, greens 10) vegetables- cucurbits, 11) vegetables- fruiting, and 12) vegetables- other
Common weeds refer to those weeds you most frequently see.
Troublesome weeds are those that are most difficult to control, but may not be widespread.
WSSA’s Composite List of Weeds is used for weed common and latin names
Suggested citation: Van Wychen L (2016) 2016 Survey of the Most Common and Troublesome Weeds in Broadleaf Crops, Fruits & Vegetables in the United States and Canada. Weed Science Society of America National Weed Survey Dataset. Available:

2. Top 5 Weeds in Alfalfa MOST COMMON MOST TROUBLESOME
(24 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
mustard spp. (19)* 2
dandelion (9)
foxtail spp. (9) 4
pigweed spp. (8)
Bromus spp. (8) 1
Canada thistle (9)*
mustard spp. (9) 3
dandelion (8) 4
downy brome (cheatgrass) (7) 5
kochia (5)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- mustard spp. included shepherd’s-purse, flixweed, tansymustard spp., field pennycress, yellow rocket, and blue, tumble and tall hedge mustard.
- foxtail spp. included giant and green foxtail.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed.
Bromus spp. included downy brome (cheatgrass) and cheat.

3. Top 4 Weeds in Canola MOST COMMON MOST TROUBLESOME
(9 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
wild oat (5)*
kochia (5)
wild buckwheat (5) 4
Galium spp. (4)
green foxtail (4) 1
kochia (7)* 2
Galium spp. (5)
wild buckwheat (5) 4
wild oat (4)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- Galium spp. included catchweed bedstraw (cleavers) and false cleavers.

4. Top 5 Weeds in Cotton MOST COMMON MOST TROUBLESOME
(19 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
morningglory spp. (21)* 2
Palmer amaranth (18) 3
Urochloa spp. (9) 4
crabgrass spp. (7) 5
barnyardgrass (6) 1
morningglory spp. (19)* 2
Palmer amaranth (18) 3
horseweed (marestail) (7) 4
nutsedge spp. (6) 5
johnsongrass (5)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- morningglory spp. included ivyleaf and pitted morningglory.
Urochloa spp. included broadleaf signalgrass and Texas and browntop millet.
crabgrass spp. included large crabgrass.
nutsedge spp. included yellow nutsedge.

5. Top 4 Weeds in Fruits & Nuts
(10 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
Conyza spp. (4)* 2
Tie among 7 species (2) 1
Conyza spp. (5)* 2
field bindweed (4) 3
Canada thistle (3)
horsenettle (3)
eastern poison-ivy (3)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- Conyza spp. included horseweed (marestail) and hairy fleabane.

6. Top 3 Weeds in Peanuts MOST COMMON MOST TROUBLESOME
(5 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
Palmer amaranth (5)* 2
nutsedge spp. (4)
Texas millet (4) 1
nutsedge spp. (6)* 2
Palmer amaranth (4) 3
Tie among 5 species (2)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- nutsedge spp. included yellow and purple nutsedge.

7. Top 5 Weeds in Pulse Crops
(15 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
common lambsquarters (12)* 2
pigweed spp. (8) 3
kochia (7) 4
Tie among 4 species (5) 1
common lambsquarters (10)* 2
kochia (7) 3
nightshade spp. (6) 4
Tie among 5 species (5)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed and Powell amaranth.
nightshade spp. included hairy and eastern black nightshade.

8. Top 7 Weeds in Soybeans MOST COMMON MOST TROUBLESOME
(66 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
waterhemp (34)* 2
horseweed (marestail) (32) 3
common lambsquarters (30) 4
foxtail spp. (27) 5
morningglory spp. (26) 6
Palmer amaranth (24) 7
velvetleaf (23) 1
waterhemp (43)*
horseweed (marestail) (43) 3
Palmer amaranth (37) 4
giant ragweed (32) 5
morningglory spp. (25) 6
common lambsquarters (24) 7
common ragweed (20)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- foxtail spp. included giant, green and yellow foxtail.
- morningglory spp. included ivyleaf, pitted, and tall morningglory.

9. Top 4 Weeds in Sugarbeets
(10 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
common lambsquarters (10)* 2
redroot pigweed (9) 3
kochia (7) 4
foxtail spp. (5) 1
common lambsquarters (10)* 2
kochia (8) 3
pigweed spp. (7) 4
hairy nightshade (3)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
- foxtail spp. included green and giant foxtail.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed and Powell amaranth.

10. Top 3 Weeds in Vegetables- Cole Crops, Greens
(5 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
pigweed spp. (3)*
common lambsquarters (3)
crabgrass spp. (3) 1
mustard spp. (4)* 2
Tie among 3 species (2)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed.
mustard spp. included shepherd’s-purse and wild radish.
crabgrass spp. included large crabgrass.

11. Top 4 Weeds in Vegetables- Cucurbits
(9 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
pigweed spp. (8)* 2
nutsedge spp. (5) 3
crabgrass spp. (4)
purslane spp. (4) 1
pigweed spp. (7)* 2
nutsedge spp. (6) 3
purslane spp. (4)
nightshade spp. (4)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed.
nutsedge spp. included yellow and purple nutsedge.
crabgrass spp. included large and southern crabgrass.
purslane spp. included common and pink purslane.
nightshade spp. included eastern black and black nightshade.

12. Top 4 Weeds in Vegetables- Fruiting
(10 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
pigweed spp. (5)*
common lambsquarters (5) 3
nutsedge spp. (4)
crabgrass spp. (4)
nightshade spp. (4) 1
nightshade spp. (8)* 2
nutsedge spp. (6) 3
pigweed spp. (4) 4
Tie among 3 species (3)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed.
nightshade spp. included eastern black, American black, and hairy nightshade.
nutsedge spp. included yellow and purple nutsedge.
crabgrass spp. included large crabgrass.

13. Top 4 Weeds in Vegetables- Other
(13 survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
pigweed spp. (10)*
common lambsquarters (10) 3
barnyardgrass (7) 4
nightshade spp. (6) 1
pigweed spp. (8)* 2
nutsedge spp. (6)
nightshade spp. (6) 4
common lambsquarters (5)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds in this crop.
pigweed spp. included redroot pigweed.
nutsedge spp. included yellow nutsedge.
nightshade spp. included hairy and eastern black nightshade.

14. (195 total survey respondents)
Top 10 Most Common Weeds among all Broadleaf Crops, Fruits, and Vegetables
(195 total survey respondents)
MOST
COMMON 1
common lambsquarters (80)* 2
pigweed spp. (71) 3
foxtail spp. (62) 4
Palmer amaranth (56) 5
morningglory spp. (55) 6
crabgrass spp. (41) 7
waterhemp (40) 8
horseweed (marestail) (38) 9
common ragweed (33) 10
Echinochloa spp. (32)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds.
pigweed spp. included redroot and smooth pigweed and Powell amaranth.
foxtail spp. included green, giant, and yellow foxtail.
morningglory spp. included ivyleaf, pitted, and tall morningglory.
crabgrass spp. included large and southern crabgrass.
Echinochloa spp. included barnyardgrass and junglerice.

15. (195 total survey respondents)
Top 10 Most Troublesome Weeds among all Broadleaf Crops, Fruits, and Vegetables
(195 total survey respondents)
MOST
TROUBLESOME 1
Palmer amaranth (66)* 2
common lambsquarters (60) 3
horseweed (marestail) (55) 4
morningglory spp. (54) 5
waterhemp (49) 6
nutsedge spp. (46) 7
pigweed spp. (42) 8
kochia (35) 9
common ragweed (33)
giant ragweed (33)
* number of survey respondents who listed the weed species as one of their top 5 weeds.
morningglory spp. included ivyleaf, pitted, and tall morningglory.
nutsedge spp. included yellow and purple nutsedge.
pigweed spp. included redroot and smooth pigweed and Powell amaranth.