NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

August 13, 1998

New Compact Disc Available for Weed Identification

A computer program designed to enhance the learning experiences of college students at North Dakota State University is now available to others on compact disc (CD). It provides immediate answers to the real-life questions agricultural producers, extension agents, crop consultants and anyone else have about identifying weeds growing in this region.

"If a farmer has a weed and wants to know what it looks like as a seedling or at another growth stage, he can use this CD to identify it," says Brenda Deckard, student services coordinator for NDSU's department of plant sciences. Deckard developed the original weed-identification computer program and adapted it to a CD format with the assistance of Edward Deckard and Cal Messersmith, both professors in the NDSU plant sciences department.

Deckard says the program features 57 weed species and covers the growth stages of most weeds. The information includes differentiating characteristics of weeds. So by using the CD, it's possible to see the differences between similar species, such as green and yellow foxtail. Also, the CD's photos and other identifying graphics will enable producers, extension agents, crop consultants and high school students to know they're talking about the same weed.

"You'll learn to identify weeds as well as specific parts of the plants. So if someone mentions the auricle, you'll know what they're talking about and where it's located," explains Deckard.

The CD, titled "Weeds of the Northern Great Plains," sells for $100, which includes shipping and handling. The CD operates on a Windows platform (either Windows 95 or 3.1) and will run on computers equipped with a CD-ROM drive and no less than a 386 processor. It's available through the distribution center of the NDSU agriculture communication department. Mail requests and payment to Distribution Center, Box 5655, Morrill 10—NDSU, Fargo ND 58105-5655, or call (701) 231-7882.

###

Sources: Brenda Deckard (701) 231-9422 and Albert Schneiter (701) 231-7973

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136