McGehee School Board to meet
The McGehee School Board will meet at 5 p.m. Monday at the McGehee High School Library. The agenda includes recognition of Students of the Month, election of officers, public comments, invoices and financial statement, and administrator’s reports, according to a news release.
UAM Kids’ University set
UAM Kids’ University will be held at the University of Arkansas at Monticello from July 7-10 for youth in grades 1-6.
The morning session for students entering grades 1-3 and will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The afternoon session for students entering grades 4-6 and will be held from 1-5 p.m. An early drop-off option is available for both sessions.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The day camp aims to cultivate new interests, expand knowledge and spark imagination and creativity in children in a non-graded environment, according to a news release.
Early registration is open now and runs through May 31. If you sign up and pay by May 31, the registration fee is $80. If you sign up and pay between June 1-26, the registration fee is $100. After June 26, the registration fee is $125. The fee includes a T-shirt and all supplies.
Checks made payable to “UAM Kids’ University” can be mailed to Attn: Rebecca Newton, P.O. Box 3608, Monticello, AR 71656. Payments may also be made over the phone by contacting the UAM Cashier’s Office at (870) 460-1043.
To reserve each child’s spot, parents should complete a separate registration form and pay registration fees for each child who will participate. Details: Rebecca Newton at kidsu@uamont.edu or (870) 460-1596.
UAPB offers tips for pond owners
How herbicide is applied is almost as important as which herbicide is applied when it comes to the outcome of a treatment. The main aquatic herbicide application techniques include foliar, surface-spray or -broadcast, and subsurface injection, according to Scott Jones, small impoundment extension specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Which approach to use depends mainly on the species of plants present, density of plant growth, depth of water and choice of herbicide, according to a news release.
“Foliar applications are those where chemical is sprayed to coat the leaves of plants,” Jones said. “This is generally the preferred approach for aquatic plants that are growing mostly out of the water, like water primrose and alligator weed, or fully to partially floating on the surface, like duckweed and water lilies.”
In most cases, a non-ionic surfactant must be added to the spray solution for foliar applications to be fully effective, he said. Non-ionic surfactants help the chemical spread more evenly and penetrate into the plant.
“Be sure to limit boat wake, prop wash and avoid treating on windy days as products washed off the leaves following foliar applications may be rendered ineffective,” Jones said.
“Application can be done by aircraft when using herbicides labeled for aerial application, or from spray rigs on shore or mounted to boats.”
Surface spraying, or broadcast spreading, refers to distributing herbicide to the surface of water with the intent of it settling down into weed beds below, he said. This is generally the preferred approach when low density submersed weeds are being treated in shallower water, up to about 5 or 6 feet deep.
“As long as the weeds are not growing too densely and the water is not too deep, this is a quick approach to cover large areas,” Jones said.
Granulated herbicides settle to the bottom where they dissolve and begin killing weeds from the base of stems upward; they are not affected so much by depth but can still be intercepted near the top of dense weed beds, he said. Surfactant is not needed for application to submersed weeds. Application can be done by aircraft when using herbicides labeled for aerial application, or from spray rigs on shore or mounted to boats.
“Subsurface injection refers to using weighted hoses to deliver herbicide near the bottom in deep water and/or when weed growth is dense,” Jones said. “Deep water tends to become thermally stratified during summer. This creates layers of differing water density that can interfere with herbicide applications.”
Some herbicides, if applied to the water surface, may not be dense enough to sink below the thermocline, a layer of decreasing water temperature and increasing water density, he said.
This may only burn off the tips of plants, stimulating rapid regrowth resulting in a failed treatment.
“Many species of submersed weeds can become very dense, potentially creating surface mats or canopies that can intercept herbicide applied to the surface from reaching the base of the weed bed,” Jones said. “This too, when using a surface spray technique, may only burn the mat or canopy with little to no effect to the deeper plant segments.”
Injecting herbicides to the base of weed beds with weighted hoses kills plants from the bottom-up. This improves the effect of contact herbicides by killing the base of the stems first and shortens the distance of travel for systemic herbicides that are designed to be absorbed into plants and transported to roots, he said. Subsurface injection requires weighted hose spray rigs mounted to motorized boats.
“As good stewards of our land and water, we should always use the least amount of chemical necessary in the most prudent manner available,” Jones said. “Possibly more important to many, aquatic herbicides can become exceedingly expensive — let’s use them wisely.”
For more information about herbicide application techniques, contact Jones at (870) 575-8185 or joness@uapb.edu.