The popular Weed Identification Field Guide is now available electronically as an e-book and, for the first time, is downloadable on iPad. The publication is distributed by the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa State University Extension. Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, has sponsored the capability for users to download the electronic versions for no charge.

The Weed Identification Field Guide, CSI 0003, authored in 2010 by ISU Extension specialists, includes images and descriptions of 56 broadleaf weeds and 19 grass and grass-like weeds. The electronic publication, like the print version, includes tools to aid in accurate weed identification, as well as weed lifecycle and herbicide management and stewardship information. The digital publication also includes detailed diagrams, including 24 illustrations, and more than 250 zoomable, high-resolution photographs of weeds common to Iowa.

Weed publication is second field guide to go electronic, first was Soybean Diseases

According to David Wright, director of contract research for the Iowa Soybean Association, says ISA and ISU Extension are dedicated to providing farmers and crop specialists the right tools to increase soybean yield in high management production systems. "The industry has rapidly adopted electronic technology for use in the field," he says. "With this field guide available in print, as an e-book and for the iPad, it gives farmers more options to access the information. Plus, the ability to zoom in on high resolution photos will make identifying weeds, the soybean's biggest competitor in the field, that much easier."

This is the second collaborative ISA/ISU Extension field guide to go electronic, with the first being Soybean Diseases. "By working with ISA to provide electronic versions of the field guides, Extension is placing ISU research and valuable information in the hands of even more people, and in a way that is convenient for them to access," says ISU Extension specialist Daren Mueller. "By immediately identifying weeds, an effective management plan that is vital to maximizing crop production can be determined more accurately."

The field guides, both print and electronic, can be found at www.iasoybeans.com/productionresearch or on the ISU Extension Online Store at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/.