The U of A weed science team wrapped up the summer by winning the Southern Weed Science Society’s Southern Weed Contest on August 2nd in Memphis.

Competitors rotated to different stations where different weed science-related scenarios were staged. Students were tested and scored in each area, from herbicide symptoms and calibration to weed identification and crop/weed situation recommendations.

Arkansas took the title ahead of second-placed Virginia Tech, third-placed Mississippi State University, and seven other colleges.

Team members, all students in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences at Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences, include Tristen Avent, Mason Castner, Casey Arnold and Juan Camilo Velasquez.

Avent won the graduate student individual category, with Castner and Arnold placing 3rd and 6th respectively.

Avent also won the categories for calibration and herbicide symptoms.

Exchange student Maria Carolina de Carvalho Rocha Suze won the undergraduate category.

The team is led by Distinguished Professor Jason Noseworthy, Elm Agriculture Chief of Weed Science and Nilda Roma Burgos, Professor of Weed Physiology and Molecular Biology.

Other competing teams/universities include Auburn, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

The Weed Science Society of America promotes weed research, education, and outreach. Providing science-based information to the public and policy makers. Raise awareness of weeds and their impact on managed natural ecosystems.

About Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities that position and prepare graduates to become leaders in businesses related to food, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and the quality of human life. And who will be the first choice for employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs? The university is named for Dale Bumpers, a former governor of Arkansas and a longtime U.S. Senator who distinguished the state in domestic and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit his website and follow us on Twitter. @Bumpers College Bumpers College Instagram.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, U of A offers an internationally competitive education with over 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes his $2.2 billion to the Arkansas economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and employment development, research and creative discovery, and provision of specialized training. contributed more than The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A among the top 3% of US universities with the highest levels of research activity. US News & World Report Ranks U of A among the nation’s top public universities. See how the U of A is working to build a better world in Arkansas Research News.