Shepherd’s purse

Description

Shepherd’s purse is an annual weed with cotyledons that are oval and 4-8 mm long, hairless with a rounded tip. The first true leaves are hairy, variable in shape and emerge as a pair before subsequent leaves emerge singularly. Eventually the leaves form a rosette, which is often up to 20 cm wide, before the stem elongates. Small, white, four petalled flowers are found in winter and spring.

Control

As a member of the mustard family, shepherd’s purse has seeds which can remain dormant for a number of years, so a sustained effort over time is required to stop seed set and deplete the seedbank. If removing isolated plants manually, do this before the pods have formed, as the seed can mature in plants that have been uprooted. 

Velocity® is registered to control 2-6 leaf shepherd’s purse in wheat, barley, cereal rye and triticale and Hussar® is registered for the control of 2-8 leaf shepherd’s purse in wheat. 

Betanal® Flow will control 2 leaf shepherd’s purse in beetroot, fodder beet and silverbeet. Tramat® is also registered to control up to 4 leaf shepherd’s purse in beet crops and ryegrass pastures. Totril® is registered to control up to 6 leaf shepherd’s purse in onions. Sencor® is registered to control shepherd’s purse in asparagus, barley, chickpeas, faba beans, lentils, peas, vetch, tomatoes and potatoes.

Brodal® Options is registered for the suppression of up to 4 leaf, and no more than 120 mm in diameter, shepherd’s purse in clover based pasture, field peas, lentils and lupins. 

References

Atlas of Living Australia (Accessed October 2019), ‘Capsella bursa-pastoris’ https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2912156

Herbiguide (2014), ‘Shepherds Purse’, Herbiguide, http://www.herbiguide.com.au/Descriptions/hg_Shepherds_Purse.htm