MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025. BY DAWSON LEWIS, REC COMMITTEE CHAIR.
Featured image: Silverleaf nightshade with flowers. Photo by Rex Stanton, PhD.
Spurred Anoda + Silverleaf Nightshade
Weeds can be more than just a nuisance—they compete with your crops, reduce yields and make your life harder. Two weeds that have been popping up more frequently these last few seasons are Spurred Anoda and Silverleaf Nightshade.
Spurred Anoda (Anoda cristata)
Native to California, Spurred Anoda is a fast-growing annual weed that belongs to the mallow family. It has heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges, and its flowers are purple to bluish with a small “spur” at the base—hence the name. It can grow up to 5 feet tall. This weed prefers warm climates and disturbed soil, making it common in row crops like cotton, soybeans and corn.
Seed head of the Spurred Anoda weed.
Photo source: Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Weed Gallery.
A Spurred Anoda seedling pushing up through the soil.
Photo source: University of Missouri Weed ID Guide.
The main issues with Spurred Anoda are:
- It grows quickly and can crowd out young crops.
- It competes for water and nutrients, hurting crop yields.
- It produces lots of seeds—one plant can produce several thousand seeds.
Two ways Spurred Anoda will grow in the field: prostrate (low) and erect (tall).
Photo source: USDA Agricultural Research Service Weed Pictures.
Spurred Anoda spreads via tiny seeds that may be dispersed by wind, animals, water, machinery and humans. It is a low-growing spreader that can appear 4 to 5 feet away from its taproot.
How to control Spurred Anoda:
- Tillage: Shallow tilling before planting can help reduce seedling numbers.
- Herbicides: Discuss with your PCA/crop advisor for best choices of products.
- Crop rotation: Rotating crops and using cover crops can help prevent heavy infestations.
Using sheep is another way to manage this weed. Sheep will eat the whole plant (except the root if they can’t uproot it from the soil) and leave a nice clean floor over winter.
Sheep herd grazing in a Lodi vineyard. Photo by Randy Caparoso.
Multiple active growing Silverleaf Nightshade plants in a vineyard in the middle of July 2024. Photo by author.
Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
Not native to California, Silverleaf Nightshade is a perennial weed with silvery, hairy leaves and purple flowers with bright yellow centers. It produces small, round berries that turn from green to yellow as they mature. It thrives in dry, open areas—like pastures, roadsides and fields. Once Silverleaf Nightshade is established, it spreads aggressively.
There are many issues with having Silverleaf Nightshade present on your property:
- It’s poisonous to livestock due to toxic alkaloids in its leaves and berries.
- Its’ deep roots make it very hard to get rid of—it regrows after mowing or shallow tilling.
- It can compete with crops.
Silverleaf nightshade primarily spreads through seeds and root fragments. It can be dispersed by wind, animals, water, machinery and humans. Root fragments may remain alive in the soil for up to 15 months if kept damp, and even tiny fragments can produce new plants. Birds that eat the seeds may disperse them miles away from the source.
Seed head of the Silverleaf Nightshade. Photo by author.
Silverleaf Nightshade seedling growing from the soil in Clements, CA. Photo by author.
How to control Silverleaf Nightshade:
- Herbicides: Herbicides can be used once discussed with your Pest Control or Crop Advisor, but repeated uses will have to be used and control may be limited.
- Mechanical control: Mowing before the plant flowers can reduce seed production, but won’t kill the reproductive roots.
- Persistence: This weed requires a long-term management plan—repeat applications of several control methods over multiple seasons work best.
There are trials being done with mechanical controls such as big electrical currents in peanut crops. If a small patch of Silverleaf Nightshade is present on your property, continuously shoveling would be best to try and remove all root fragments.
Tips for Spurred Anoda + Silverleaf Nightshade IPM:
- Scout early and often. The sooner you spot these weeds, the easier they are to control.
- Rotate crops and use cover crops to disrupt weed lifecycles.
- Don’t let them go to seed—once they seed, they’re much harder to manage.
- Clean your equipment between fields to avoid spreading seeds and for Silverleaf Nightshade, root fragments. This is probably the most important tip.
By learning to identify and manage these weeds you’ll be able to apply best management practices and save yourself a lot of shoveling in the long run.
Dawson Lewis works for Starr & Storm Crop Solutions as a Viticulturist and Pest Control Advisor, and currently serves as the Lodi Winegrape Commission’s Research, Education & Communication (REC) Committee Chairperson.
Resources:
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Spurred Anoda: Biology and Management. agrilifeextension.tamu.edu
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Silverleaf Nightshade Profile. plants.usda.gov
Oklahoma State University Extension – Weed Control in Pastures and Hayfields. extension.okstate.edu
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture – Identifying and Managing Spurred Anoda. uaex.uada.edu
Kansas State University Extension – Silverleaf Nightshade Control Strategies. ksre.k-state.edu
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Spurred Anoda Identification and Control. YouTube, 14 Oct. 2021. youtube.com/watch?v=LczbOn-72-8.
University of Missouri. Spurred Anoda (Anoda cristata). Weed ID Guide, Division of Plant Sciences. weedid.missouri.edu/weedinfo.cfm?weed_id=22.
Oobree Farms. Weed Zapper Used in Peanut Fields. Bing Videos, bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=weed+zapper+oobree+farms+peanuts&mid=CA35F183EF61FD408F86CA35F183EF61FD408F86.
University of Missouri. Spurred Anoda Image. Weed ID Guide. weedid.missouri.edu/images/images_optimized/426optimized.jpg.
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Spurred Anoda Fruit. Rutgers NJAES Weed Gallery. njaes.rutgers.edu/weeds/images/large/spurredanoda-fruit-full.jpg.
United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Spurred Anoda Image. ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/30640500/CSC/Web/PhaseII/Weeds/Pictures/Anoda/img005.jpg
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