Medusahead is an aggressive, nonnative, winter annual grass that infests rangelands in the western United States. Its ability to rapidly spread, outcompete native vegetation, and destroy forage potential is a primary concern for landowners and land managers exposed to this weed. Prescribed burns were conducted at a low- and high-litter site in northern Utah prior to conducting experiments to evaluate the effects of fall and spring applications of sulfometuron at 39 or 79 g ai/ha and imazapic at 70 or 140 g ai/ha on medusahead and associated perennial grasses, annual and perennial forbs, and bare ground cover. Large differences in pretreatment medusahead litter between the sites resulted in less surface area burning at the low-litter site (∼10%) compared to the high-litter site (∼80%). Higher herbicide rates significantly increased medusahead control and bare ground cover; however, this rate affect largely depended on site, season, and herbicide. The low- and high-litter sites did not differ significantly in perennial grass cover 2 yr after burning. Annual forb cover was greater, but perennial forb cover was lower at the low-litter site compared to the high-litter site. Several treatment combinations were identified as having the potential to maintain greater than 50% medusahead control in the second year after herbicide applications. These results collectively demonstrate that potential exists to successfully control medusahead and produce a window of opportunity to reintroduce a greater abundance of perennial species back into the plant community via seeding.

Isoxaflutole, a preemergence herbicide for use in corn, causes bleaching of plant tissue and plant death at low rates. A concern regarding widespread use of isoxaflutole is the unintentional exposure of high-value, minor hectareage crops that may be sensitive. Unintentional exposure could occur because of carryover from a previous application, spray drift, or contamination of irrigation water. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for injury to nine minor hectareage Michigan crops. Crops evaluated were: adzuki bean, alfalfa, carrot, cucumber, dry bean (navy and black beans), onion, sugar beet, and tomato. Experiments were conducted in the greenhouse to evaluate injury from low rates of isoxaflutole applied to soil to simulate carryover as well as low concentrations of isoxaflutole in 2.54 cm of irrigation water applied over the course of 1 h to 15-cm-tall plants. Isoxaflutole rates and concentrations that cause 20% injury (I20) were calculated using Seefeldt's log-logistic dose–response model. Regardless of application type, onion was always the least sensitive plant to isoxaflutole (I20 = 37 g/ha applied to soil and 194 μg/L in irrigation water), whereas navy bean and black bean were the most sensitive (I20 = 9 g/ha applied to soil and 5 μg/ L in irrigation water). The remaining plants exhibited intermediate sensitivity. All of the rates that resulted in injury were substantially less than the rates used for weed control in corn. Carryover from isoxaflutole applications in corn production may require plant back restrictions for certain sensitive crops.

Because of a previously reported antagonism of clethodim activity by other herbicides, greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine goosegrass control with clethodim and glufosinate postemergence alone, in tank mixtures, and as sequential treatments. Herbicide treatments consisted of glufosinate at 0, 290, or 410 g ai/ha and clethodim at 0, 105, or 140 g ai/ha, each applied alone, in all possible combinations of the above application rates, or sequentially. Glufosinate at either rate alone controlled goosegrass at the two- to four-leaf growth stage <44%, and control was less for goosegrass at the one- to two- and four- to six-tiller growth stages. Clethodim controlled two- to four-leaf and one- to two-tiller goosegrass 91 and 99% at application rates of 105 and 140 g/ha, respectively, and controlled four- to six-tiller goosegrass 68 and 83% at application rates of 105 and 140 g ai/ha, respectively. All tank mixtures of glufosinate with clethodim reduced goosegrass control at least 52 percentage points when compared to the control with clethodim alone. Glufosinate at 290 or 410 g/ha when applied sequentially 7 or 14 d prior to clethodim reduced goosegrass control at least 50 percentage points compared to the control obtained with clethodim applied alone. Clethodim at rates of 105 or 140 g/ha when applied 7 or 14 d prior to glufosinate controlled goosegrass equivalent to the control obtained with each respective rate of clethodim applied alone at the two- to four-leaf and one- to two-tiller growth stage. Clethodim should be applied to goosegrass no larger than at the one- to two-tiller growth stage at least 7 d prior to glufosinate application or 14 d after a glufosinate application for effective goosegrass control.

Limited information exists on the tolerance of processing tomato to postemergence (POST) application of thifensulfuron-methyl. The tolerance of 13 processing tomato varieties, ‘CC337’, ‘H9144’, ‘H9314’, ‘H9478’, ‘H9492’, ‘H9553’, ‘H9909’, ‘N1069’, ‘N1082’, ‘N1480E’, ‘N1480L’, ‘N1522’, and ‘PETO696’, to POST applications of thifensulfuron-methyl at the maximum use rate (6 g ai/ha) and twice the maximum use rate (12 g/ha) for soybean was evaluated at two Ontario locations in 2001 and 2002. At 7 days after treatment (DAT), thifensulfuron applied POST caused 0.2 to 1% visible injury to CC337, H9144, N1082, N1522, and PETO696 at the high rate. H9553, H9909, N1069, and N1480E were the most sensitive to POST thifensulfuron-methyl, with visible injury ranging from 1 to 6% at the high rate. There was no visible injury to H9314, H9478, H9492, or N1480L at either application rate of thifensulfuron-methyl. By 28 DAT, no visible injury was noted to any variety, except for H9909, N1069, and N1480L, which showed minimal (<2%) visible injury. There were no adverse effects on shoot dry weight and marketable yield for any variety at either rate. Although thifensulfuron-methyl applied POST caused minimal and transient injury to the varieties tested, more tolerance trials with other fresh and processing tomato varieties are required to confirm these initial results.

The transfer of herbicide resistance genes from crops to related species is one of the greatest risks of growing herbicide-resistant crops. The recent introductions of imidazolinone-resistant wheat in the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and research on transgenic glyphosate-resistant wheat have raised concerns about the transfer of herbicide resistance from wheat to jointed goatgrass via introgressive hybridization. Field experiments were conducted from 2000 to 2003 at three locations in Washington and Idaho to determine the frequency and distance that imidazolinone-resistant wheat can pollinate jointed goatgrass and produce resistant F1 hybrids. Each experiment was designed as a Nelder wheel with 16 equally spaced rays extending away from a central pollen source of ‘Fidel-FS4’ imidazolinone-resistant wheat. Each ray was 46 m long and contained three rows of jointed goatgrass. Spikelets were collected at maturity at 1.8-m intervals along each ray and subjected to an imazamox screening test. The majority of all jointed goatgrass seeds tested were not resistant to imazamox; however, 5 and 15 resistant hybrids were found at the Pullman, WA, and Lewiston, ID, locations, respectively. The resistant plants were identified at a maximum distance of 40.2 m from the pollen source. The overall frequency of imazamox-resistant hybrids was similar to the predicted frequency of naturally occurring acetolactate synthase resistance in weeds; however, traits with a lower frequency of spontaneous mutations may have a relatively greater risk for gene escape via introgressive hybridization.

Field studies were conducted at Aberdeen, ID; Ontario, OR; and Paterson, WA, to evaluate potato tolerance to flumioxazin and sulfentrazone. In ‘Russet Burbank’ tolerance trials conducted in 2000 at ID, OR, and WA, sulfentrazone applied preemergence (PRE) at rates ranging from 105 to 280 g ai/ha caused significant injury consisting of stunting, leaf discoloration-blackening, and/or leaf malformation-crinkling at 4 wk after treatment (WAT). By 12 WAT, injury was ≤5%. At 4 WAT, flumioxazin applied PRE at 105 and 140 g ai/ha resulted in injury, whereas 53 g ai/ha did not cause significant injury. At 12 WAT, no visual injury was present at the ID site, whereas flumioxazin at 140 g/ha was still causing injury in WA. Regardless of initial injury, Russet Burbank tuber yields at ID, OR, and WA were not reduced as a result of any flumioxazin or sulfentrazone treatment compared with the nontreated controls. In potato variety tolerance trials conducted at ID in 2000 and at WA in 2002 with Russet Burbank, ‘Ranger Russet’, ‘Russet Norkotah’, and ‘Shepody’ and at ID in 2002 with those varieties plus ‘Alturas’ and ‘Bannock Russet’, early season injury caused by flumioxazin or sulfentrazone applied PRE at rates as high as 210 g ai/ha or 280 g/ha, respectively, occurred, but variety tuber yields were not reduced compared with nontreated control yields. In contrast, at ID in 2001, early injury caused by flumioxazin or sulfentrazone applied PRE at 105 or 210 g/ha translated to tuber yield reductions of all six varieties tested compared with the nontreated controls. At WA in 2001, Ranger Russet tuber yields were reduced by PRE applications of flumioxazin at 53 to 140 g/ha or sulfentrazone at 105 to 280 g/ha, and Shepody total tuber yields were reduced by all rates of PRE-applied sulfentrazone. Russet Burbank and Russet Norkotah tuber yields were unaffected by either herbicide. Unusual heat stress occurring early in the 2001 growing season at both locations may have compounded the effects of herbicide injury and, consequently, tuber yields were reduced in 2001, whereas injury occurring in 2000 or 2002 during relatively normal growing conditions did not translate to yield reductions.

A study was conducted at a 64-ha site in western Canada to determine how preventing seed shed from herbicide-resistant wild oat affects patch expansion over a 6-yr period. Seed shed was prevented in two patches and allowed to occur in two patches (nontreated controls). Annual patch expansion was determined by seed bank sampling and mapping. Crop management practices were performed by the grower. Area of treated patches increased by 35% over the 6-yr period, whereas nontreated patches increased by 330%. Patch expansion was attributed mainly to natural seed dispersal (nontreated) or seed movement by equipment at time of seeding (nontreated and treated). Extensive seed shed from plants in nontreated patches before harvest or control of resistant plants by alternative herbicides minimized seed movement by the combine harvester. Although both treated and nontreated patches were relatively stable over time in this cropping system, preventing seed production and shed in herbicide-resistant wild oat patches can markedly slow the rate of patch expansion.

Studies were conducted at eight sites during a 3-yr period in Oklahoma and Arkansas to determine the effectiveness and safety of preemergence applications of halosulfuron both alone and in tank mixtures with bensulide, clomazone, ethalfluralin, and naptalam. Ethalfluralin, naptalam plus bensulide, and sulfentrazone also were applied alone. Although halosulfuron caused up to 20% seedling stunting, watermelon plants recovered by 5 to 7 wk after planting, and yield was similar to that of hand-weeded plots. Halosulfuron treatments controlled hophornbeam copperleaf, Palmer amaranth, carpetweed, and cutleaf groundcherry 80 to 100%. Control of goosegrass was at least 97% with clomazone plus ethalfluralin plus halosulfuron. Injury to watermelon treated with sulfentrazone ranged from 76 to 98% at 2 to 4 wk after treatment. This was reflected by yields that were lower than any other herbicide treatment in the studies.

Field studies were conducted during the years 2000 to 2003 at Stoneville, MS, to determine the efficacy of fall deep tillage and glyphosate applications on redvine and trumpetcreeper populations and soybean yield in glyphosate-resistant soybean. Fall deep (≈45 cm) tillage for 1, 2, and 3 yr reduced redvine density by 95, 88, and 97%, respectively, compared with shallow (≈15 cm) tillage, but deep tillage did not reduce trumpetcreeper density. Glyphosate applied preplant reduced trumpetcreeper density (25 to 44%), but not redvine density, compared to that with no glyphosate. Glyphosate early postemergence (EPOST) either alone (45 to 67%) or followed by (fb) late postemergence (LPOST; 59 to 83%) reduced density of trumpetcreeper, but not of redvine, compared to that with no herbicide. However, dry biomass of both vines was reduced with glyphosate EPOST or LPOST compared to that with no herbicide. Soybean yields were higher with deep tillage vs. shallow tillage, glyphosate preplant application vs. no glyphosate, and glyphosate EPOST either alone or fb LPOST vs. no herbicide. Redvine did not reestablish in 2003, which was after skipping fall deep tillage for 1 yr following three consecutive years of deep tillage compared with shallow tillage. It is possible to manage redvine infestations with fall deep tillage and trumpetcreeper infestations with glyphosate preplant and postemergence (POST) in-crop applications. Integration of fall deep tillage and glyphosate POST applications could be an effective strategy to manage combined infestations of these vines in glyphosate-resistant soybean.

Coapplication of herbicides and insecticides affords growers an opportunity to control multiple pests with one application, given that efficacy is not compromised. Glufosinate was applied at 470 g ai/ha both alone and in combination with the insecticides acephate, acetamiprid, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, dicrotophos, emamectin benzoate, imidacloprid, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, methoxyfenozide, spinosad, or thiamethoxam to determine coapplication effects on control of some of the more common and/or troublesome broadleaf weeds infesting cotton. Hemp sesbania, pitted morningglory, prickly sida, redroot pigweed, and sicklepod were treated at the three- to four- or the seven- to eight-leaf growth stage. When applied at the earlier application timing, glufosinate applied alone provided complete control at 14 d after treatment, and control was unaffected by coapplication with insecticides. When glufosinate application was delayed to the later application timing, visual weed control was unaffected by insecticide coapplication. Fresh-weight reduction from the herbicide applied to larger weeds was negatively impacted by addition of the insecticides dicrotophos and imidacloprid with respect to redroot pigweed and prickly sida, but only in one of two experiments. In most cases, delaying application of glufosinate to larger weeds resulted in reduced control compared to that from a three- to four-leaf application, with the extent of reduction varying by species. Results indicate that when applied according to the herbicide label (three- to four-leaf stage), glufosinate/ insecticide coapplications offer producers the ability to integrate pest management strategies and to limit application costs without sacrificing control of the broadleaf weeds evaluated.

Field experiments were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to determine the tolerance of direct-seeded leafy turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, and collard to selected preemergence and postemergence herbicides and to determine the efficacy of these herbicides against weeds that are common to the southeastern coastal plains of the United States. Pendimethalin applied preemergence controlled large crabgrass, goosegrass, carpetweed, and common purslane, but it injured turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, and collard. Dimethenamid at 0.31 and 0.63 kg ai/ha controlled large crabgrass and goosegrass but did not control hairy nightshade or common purslane at the lower rate. In 2003, dimethenamid at 0.63 kg/ha injured mustard greens, kale, and collard more than 40%. S-metolachlor applied preemergence at 0.45 kg ai/ha controlled large crabgrass, goosegrass, hairy nightshade, and common purslane while causing little or no injury to turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, and collard. Clopyralid at 0.10 kg ai/ha controlled common lambsquarters 76 to 95% and hairy nightshade 93% but did not control carpetweed, common purslane, large crabgrass, and goosegrass. Turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, and collard generally were tolerant of clopyralid, but mustard was injured 29% in 2003. Phenmedipham alone or in combination with desmedipham injured mustard greens 54 to 82% in 2003 and failed to control weeds. Of the herbicides evaluated, S-metolachlor provides the best potential to improve weed control in direct-seeded leafy greens in the southeastern United States.

The increased use of conservation tillage in cotton production requires that information be developed on the role of cover crops in weed control. Field experiments were conducted from fall 1994 through fall 1997 in Alabama to evaluate three winter cereal cover crops in a high-residue, conservation-tillage, nontransgenic cotton production system. Black oat, rye, and wheat were evaluated for their weed-suppressive characteristics compared to a winter fallow system. Three herbicide systems were used: no herbicide, preemergence (PRE) herbicides alone, and PRE plus postemergence (POST) herbicides. The PRE system consisted of pendimethalin at 1.12 kg ai/ha plus fluometuron at 1.7 kg ai/ha. The PRE plus POST system contained an additional application of fluometuron at 1.12 kg/ha plus DSMA at 1.7 kg ai/ha early POST directed (PDS) and lactofen at 0.2 kg ai/ha plus cyanazine at 0.84 kg ai/ha late PDS. No cover crop was effective in controlling weeds without a herbicide. However, when black oat or rye was used with PRE herbicides, weed control was similar to the PRE plus POST system. Rye and black oat provided more effective weed control than wheat in conservation-tillage cotton. The winter fallow, PRE plus POST input system yielded significantly less cotton in 2 of 3 yr compared to systems that included a winter cover crop. Use of black oat or rye cover crops has the potential to increase cotton productivity and reduce herbicide inputs for nontransgenic cotton grown in the Southeast.

The degree of resistance to linuron of a common ragweed biotype was investigated. Suspected linuron-resistant plants collected from a carrot field near Sherrington, Québec, were subjected to increasing rates of linuron under glasshouse conditions. Resistance to linuron of the common ragweed biotype was suspected because 33% of plants survived to reproduction after they were sprayed at a rate of 4.5 kg ai/ha, two times the dose rate recommended for linuron in carrots, and also because 3% of plants survived to reproduction after they were sprayed at a rate of 22.5 kg ai/ ha, 10 times the recommended dose. Susceptible plants collected from a field with no prior history of linuron use were all killed when sprayed at the lowest dose rate recommended, 1.125 kg ai/ha. The herbicide-resistance ratio was 29.0 for linuron, and for cross-resistance to atrazine, the ratio was 1.3, indicating that these plants exhibit greater resistance to linuron than to atrazine.

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted in 2000, 2001, and 2002 to evaluate the response of imidazolinone-resistant (IR) corn and selected weeds to trifloxysulfuron applied postemergence (POST). Treatments included a nontreated control and S-metolachlor applied preemergence at 1,075 g ai/ha followed by (fb) trifloxysulfuron POST at 0, 3.8, 7.5, 11.2, and 15 g ai/ha. IR corn visible injury was less than 6% from field applications of trifloxysulfuron. Visual symptoms were transient, and IR corn yield was not affected by trifloxysulfuron. Common ragweed, common lambsquarters, annual grass species (giant foxtail and large crabgrass), and carpetweed were controlled at least 95% by S-metolachlor fb trifloxysulfuron applications. Morningglory species (ivyleaf morningglory, pitted morningglory, and tall morningglory) were controlled at least 97% in 2000 and greater than 77% in 2001 from S-metolachlor fb trifloxysulfuron. Jimsonweed was not adequately controlled. S-metolachlor alone controlled annual grass species 90% but did not control the broadleaf weeds that were present. Wheat was planted following IR corn harvest, and non-IR corn was planted the following spring. No visible response was observed to rotational wheat or non-IR corn crops. Rotational non-IR corn yield was not affected by trifloxysulfuron and was not different from the yield of corn treated with S-metolachlor alone. In greenhouse studies, IR corn was injured 10% at 10 d after treatment with 380 g/ha trifloxysulfuron POST, but recovery was rapid. Based upon results, trifloxysulfuron may be used as an herbicide in IR corn, and rotational wheat and non-IR corn may be planted at normal intervals after cotton harvest.

Field studies were conducted to determine the feasibility of using imazethapyr applied preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) for weed control in sericea lespedeza. In the POST experiment, imazethapyr was applied at 0, 71, 142, and 213 g ai/ha to mature, recently mowed stands of sericea lespedeza. Regardless of rate, yellow nutsedge and cutleaf groundcherry control at 2 mo after treatment, as determined by weed foliage biomass relative to the nontreated plants, was 90 and 80%, respectively. Sericea lespedeza forage yield (weeds removed) was not reduced by POST-applied imazethapyr even at 213 g/ha. The same imazethapyr rates were used with newly seeded sericea lespedeza in the PRE-applied experiment. Imazethapyr at 71 g/ha provided at least 78% control of large crabgrass, stinkgrass, yellow nutsedge, sicklepod, and cutleaf groundcherry as well as maximum sericea lespedeza performance, as indicated by seedling height, weight, and stand count. Results indicated that imazethapyr can be used for either PRE- or POST-applied weed control in sericea lespedeza. However, margin of safety is greater with imazethapyr applied POST to mature stands than with PRE applications to germinating seeds.

An experiment was conducted at four locations in North Carolina in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate weed control and cotton response in conventional-tillage bromoxynil-resistant cotton. Weed management systems evaluated included a factorial arrangement of bromoxynil postemergence (POST) at 0, 0.28, 0.42, or 0.56 kg ai/ha in mixture with pyrithiobac POST at 0, 0.018, 0.032, or 0.072 kg ai/ha. Additional treatments evaluated included trifluralin preplant-incorporated (PPI) plus fluometuron preemergence (PRE). All systems received a postemergence-directed (PDS) treatment of fluometuron plus MSMA. Bromoxynil at 0.42 kg/ha POST followed by (fb) fluometuron plus MSMA PDS controlled common lambsquarters, common ragweed, eclipta, prickly sida, redroot pigweed, spurred anoda; and entireleaf, ivyleaf, pitted, and tall morningglory at least 93%, whereas smooth pigweed and volunteer peanut were controlled 73 and 86%, respectively. Pyrithiobac at 0.036 kg/ha POST fb fluometuron plus MSMA PDS controlled eclipta, common ragweed, prickly sida, redroot, and smooth pigweed, and spurred anoda at least 94%. Volunteer peanut was controlled 84% by pyrithiobac at 0.032 kg/ha, whereas pitted, ivyleaf, and entireleaf morningglory were controlled by 63, 78, and 83%, respectively. Pyrithiobac at 0.072 kg/ha fb fluometuron plus MSMA PDS controlled common lambsquarters 48%. Cotton yield with bromoxynil plus pyrithiobac POST mixtures were equivalent to trifluralin PPI plus fluometuron PRE at three locations and better at the fourth location. Bromoxynil-resistant cotton ‘47’ and ‘57’ had excellent tolerance to all POST herbicide treatments.

Coapplication of herbicides and insecticides affords growers an opportunity to control multiple pests with one application given that efficacy is not compromised. Trifloxysulfuron was applied at 5.3 g ai/ha both alone and in combination with the insecticides acephate (370 g ai/ha), oxamyl (370 g ai/ha), lambda-cyhalothrin (34 g ai/ha), acetamiprid (45 g ai/ha), thiamethoxam (45 g ai/ha), endosulfan (379 g ai/ha), indoxacarb (123 g ai/ha), emamectin benzoate (11 g ai/ha), methoxyfenozide (67 g ai/ha), spinosad (75 g ai/ha), and pyridalyl (112 g ai/ha) to determine the effects of coapplication on control of some of the more common and/or troublesome broadleaf weeds infesting cotton. In addition, the insecticides acephate, oxamyl, lambda-cyhalothrin, thiamethoxam, and endosulfan, at the rates listed above, were applied either alone or in combination with trifloxysulfuron at 7.9 g/ha to assess the effects of coapplication on thrips control. Control of hemp sesbania (insecticides oxamyl and lambda-cyhalothrin), sicklepod (insecticides methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl), redroot pigweed (insecticides thiamethoxam, methoxyfenozide, spinosad, and pyridalyl), and smooth pigweed, Palmer amaranth, and common lambsquarters (all insecticides) with trifloxysulfuron may be reduced when coapplied with the indicated insecticides for each species. Control of pitted, tall, ivyleaf, and entireleaf morningglory with trifloxysulfuron was not affected by the insecticides evaluated. Coapplication of trifloxysulfuron with the insecticides evaluated also resulted in no negative effects on thrips control.