Dr. Bradley Majek

Contact Information

Mailing Address

Rutgers University
Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center
121 Northville Rd.
Bridgeton, NJ 08302
majek@aesop.rutgers.edu

Campus Location

Office: Room NNN Agricultural Research & Ext Ctr - Bridgeton, (856) 455-3100

Research Interests

Study the growth, development, reproduction and competitive ability of weeds, and use this information to develop new weed control practices. Evaluate the effectiveness of crop response to and cost potential of cultural, biological, mechanical and chemical methods of controlling weeds in vegetables and tree fruit. Determine the fate of herbicides in plants and the environment. Hoeing and hand weeding is useful to eliminate weeds that escape other control measures, but is prohibitively expensive when used as the only method of controlling weeds in the crop row. Herbicides can safely, effectively and economically control many weeds in a variety of crops. To use herbicides to their greatest advantage safely as understanding of their mode of action, weed biology and the fate of the chemical in the environment and in the crop is needed. Herbicide residues in the soil affect the crops that can be planted after the treated crop is harvested and may contaminate groundwater. Crops that can be planted after a treated crop is harvested may be restricted because herbicide residue may injure the following crop, or more commonly, because no research has been conducted. Biological control techniques provide unique permanent solutions to specific weed problems. Unfortunately the control level may be below the economic threshold level required by many vegetable and fruit crops. Insect and disease control practices in a crop frequently also control beneficial organisms. Research is needed to determine when biological weed control is possible, and how to maximize the results. Control of weeds using cultural practices is integrated into the practices of most farmers, but many have abandoned useful procedures due to cost. Others have adopted practices that reduce disease of improve yield and solved or created weed control problems inadvertently. The use of black plastic for early yield, moisture retention, and disease control solved a weed problem in the row, but created one between the rows by eliminating cultivation as a control measure along the edges.

Publications

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Rutgers Affiliations

1. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
2. Rutgers Plant Biology Graduate Program

Dr. Bradley Majek joined the department in 1981 and serves as an extension specialist in weed science.