The weedy plant species Giant Foxtail (Setaria faberi) is currently listed as a Class 1 Prohibited Noxious species in the federal Weed Seeds Order of the Seeds Act.
The Seeds Regulations state that 'no seed shall contain Prohibited Noxious weed seeds', therefore Giant Foxtail is not permitted in seed imported into or sold in Canada.
Prohibited Noxious are currently described as:
Species having the potential to be serious weeds in at least a part of Canada, should not be native to Canada and if present in Canada, should not have reached the limits of their ecological range. They would be difficult to eradicate or control by any means once established.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is proposing to reclassify Giant Foxtail from Class 1 Prohibited Noxious to Class 2 Primary Noxious.
Your opinion, as a key stakeholder, is being requested prior to publication in Canada Gazette, Part I.
Please review the attached background information. Also included is an excerpt from the Schedule I (Grade Tables) outlining the level of Class 2 Primary Noxious Weed Seeds permitted in different crop kinds.
This information together with your own knowledge of weeds, crops and natural areas in Canada allows you to provide us with informed advice as to the merit of this proposed action.
Please provide your feedback by August 15, 2008 to Anita Gilmer at gilmera@inspection.gc.ca
Michael Scheffel
National Manager
Seed Section
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Background Information
Giant Foxtail was added to the Weed Seeds Order as a Class 1 Prohibited Noxious Weed Seed in 2005. Several justifications for inclusion were presented at that time: it is not a native plant; it could cause major weed problems if introduced or further spread within Canada; and it was thought to have possible trade implications. The 'Seed Standards Review' identified Giant Foxtail as a weed of concern. It was known to be present in Southern Ontario and Quebec and it was feared that it would further spread and become as common as green foxtail. There were 6 reports of herbicide resistant biotypes from the U.S. and one from Europe already known.
Giant Foxtail (Setaria faberi), is an annual grass in the tribe Paniceae (millet tribe), of the family Poaceae (grass family) with potential to produce over 10,000 seeds per plant. It is native to eastern Asia and has spread widely throughout the North American corn belt after being accidentally introduced from China in the 1920s. It is one of the most important weeds of the American corn belt and the subject of intensive research2,3.
Giant Foxtail grows in disturbed areas, including roadsides, waste ground and cultivated fields . As it is an annual, it does well in crop fields. It is a major pest in Glycine max (soybean), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Zea mays (corn) and a minor weed in Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Prunus persica (peach) and Vitis vinifera (grapevine)4.
Species current Status within Canada
Informal surveys and pedigreed field crop inspections suggest Setaria faberi is present in much of the corn and soybean production area of Ontario and Quebec5. Agronomic information provided by both ON and QC provincial Ministries gives identification and control advice on this species. Its status in Western Canada and the Atlantic is not known with certainty, but it is assumed to be rare, if present at all.
Giant Foxtail has been detected in two CFIA seed samples, one each from Ontario and Quebec 6. It has been detected in exported grain7. In the summer of 2007, this species was reported in 25% of Quebec and 3% of Ontario pedigreed seed crop production fields5.
Giant Foxtail can grow at least to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4, which includes much of southern BC, extreme southern AB, southern ON, extreme southern QC and much of the Atlantic Provinces. There are many areas within this range where Giant Foxtail does not yet occur, but it should be noted that the USDA hardiness zones are based entirely on temperature minima and that there are many other factors that would more stringently reduce Giant Foxtail range.
Regulated Status – Provincial and International
Giant Foxtail is not currently listed as noxious on any provincially regulated lists. In the U.S. it is regulated as a noxious weed in seed in several states. AR and CA list this species as a noxious terrestrial weed, while AL, AR, CO, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA and WI all list it as a noxious weed seed in seed lots8. There are no restrictions on grains entering the U.S. from Canada with regard to Giant Foxtail9.
Setaria faberi is internationally regulated by Australia where it is a quarantine weed of seed and grain. Some other countries such as Thailand and Ethiopia are also known to regulate it9.
Prohibited Noxious vs Primary Noxious
The distinctions within the Weed Seeds Order Classes are policy not legislation. The definitions for Class 1 and Class 2 are:
Class 1 Prohibited Noxious
No seeds of the species listed in Class 1 are permitted in any seed imported or sold in Canada. These species have the potential to be serious weeds in at least a part of Canada, should not be native to Canada and if present in Canada, should not have reached the limits of their ecological range. They would be difficult to eradicate or control by any means once established.
Class 2 Primary Noxious
These species have the potential to be serious weeds in at least a part of Canada but are permitted at low levels in the lowest grades of seed (e.g. Common No. 2). They are permitted in seeds for conditioning (imported or sold as such). These species are either native to Canada or have reached the limits of their ecological range. They would be difficult to eradicate or control by good cultural practices once established in cultivated fields.
Resources
- Schreiber, M.M 1965. Effect of date of planting and stage of cutting on seed production of giant foxtail. Weeds 13: 60-62.
- FNA - Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 12+ vols. New York and Oxford.
- Dekker, J. 2003. The foxtail (Setaria) species-group. Weed Science 51: 641-656.
- CAB International 2007. Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.
- Canadian Seed Growers Association DATABASE.
- Saskatoon Seed Science and Technology Section, Science Branch, CFIA.
- Canadian Grain Commission Data.
- USDA-ARS 2007. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, USA. (January 11, 2008) Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl
- Grains and Field Crop Section, Plant Health Division, CFIA.
