Plant growth regulators were evaluated on African ‘Tifway’ and common bermudagrass. The vegetative growth of mowed Tifway bermudagrass was suppressed 15 to 22% for 3 weeks by flurprimidol at 0.84 kg ai/ha while mowed common bermudagrass was suppressed 30 to 34% during the same period by flurprimidol at 1.1 kg/ha. When nonmowed bermudagrass was treated with flurprimidol, the growth of Tifway treated at 0.84 kg/ha was suppressed 42% at 8 weeks while growth of common bermudagrass treated at 1.1 kg/ha was suppressed 26% at 6 weeks. Excessive injury by flurprimidol occurred when common and Tifway bermudagrass were treated at rates above 1.1 and 0.84 kg/ha, respectively. Imazethapyr excessively injured both bermudagrass cultivars. Mefluidide and Mon 4620 injured both bermudagrass cultivars slightly, but neither suppressed vegetative growth as effectively as flurprimidol.

Dose-response experiments showed that three samples of green foxtail collected from fields in southern Manitoba where trifluralin had not controlled the weed in 1987 were resistant to the herbicide. GR50 values indicated that the resistant populations were about 5 times more resistant to trifluralin than susceptible populations, about twice as resistant as wild oat, and about equally resistant as wheat. An additional 33 samples collected in 1988 from southwestern Manitoba where trifluralin has been used for nearly 20 yr in both cereal and oilseed crops were resistant to trifluralin.

An eradication plan is needed to counteract the increasing number of invasions by new plant species and the cost of resulting control programs. An eradication plan includes early detection of new species, assessment of the invader's noxious potential, surveys, understanding of the invader's biology, and technology incorporated into a strategy to eliminate the species and to revegetate invasion sites. Early detection increases the probability of successfully eradicating invading plants. Key factors in determining a plant's noxious potential are similarities among the climates of the invaded area and endemic population, the plant's history of spread, and its ability to germinate. Surveys are necessary to detect new species and to assess their threat. Reliable surveys depend on using proper methods and tactics. Population dynamics indicate the stage of a plant's life cycle most vulnerable to eradication treatments, the time to deplete viable propagules from the soil, and the strategy to stop spread. Eradication technology is based on a plant's population dynamics and must eliminate every plant from an infestation. The survey data, population dynamics, and eradication technology are combined into an eradication strategy that must stop spread, prevent reproduction, and deplete viable propagules from the soil. An effective eradication strategy specifies where and when to apply treatments, quarantine measures, criteria to assess progress, steps to prevent further invasions, and cost appraisals.

Oil-water emulsion stability was determined for crop origin and refinement of seed oils and their methyl esterified fatty acids (methylated seed oil) as influenced by emulsifiers and herbicides. Oil-in-water emulsion stability of one-refined, degummed, and crude seed oils was affected by the emulsifier. However, emulsion stability of methylated seed oil was not affected by the refinement of the seed oil used to produce the methylated seed oil or by the emulsifier. Oils without emulsifiers or emulsifiers alone added to formulated herbicide-water emulsions reduced emulsion stability depending upon the herbicide and emulsifier. Further, emulsion stability of formulated herbicides plus oil adjuvants was influenced by the oil type, the emulsifier in the oil adjuvant, and the herbicide. Oil-in-water emulsions improved or were not affected by increasing concentration of the emulsifier in the oil. However, T-Mulz-VO at a concentration greater than 10% with soybean oil or 5% with methylated soybean oil reduced emulsion stability with sethoxydim. Emulsion stability of herbicides with adjuvants depends upon the herbicide, the emulsifier, emulsifier concentration, and the crop origin, type, and refinement of oil.

Naptalam at 6.7 kg ae/ha applied with chloramben at 2.0 to 4.5 kg ae/ha was a safener for chloramben phytotoxicity to cucumber as expressed by increased dry weight in the greenhouse and yield in the field, but the protection was inadequate to be commercially acceptable. Naptalam applied in seed coatings also protected cucumber from chloramben phytotoxicity in the greenhouse but were ineffective in the field. Delaying chloramben application 24 to 72 h after naptalam application in the field increased the safening effect to a level that may be commercially acceptable. The safening effect was only to cucumber as effective weed control was achieved with chloramben and naptalam.

Antagonistic interactions between herbicides or between herbicides and nonherbicides are common and prevent the use of certain mixtures. Although antagonism is detrimental when it reduces weed control, the degree of antagonism is critical to determine whether a mixture is agronomically useful. If antagonsim is not severe, herbicides with different weed spectrums can be used together to complete the weed spectrum. Antagonism can be beneficial when it increases crop safety. In cases where antagonism significantly reduces control, key factors must be identified and managed to decrease antagonism and increase efficacy. These factors, which include the herbicide rate(s), mode of action, plant species, formulation, adjuvants, timing, stage of growth, and environment, often are complex and poorly understood at the whole plant level. The growing dependence on herbicide mixtures has increased the practical importance of understanding herbicide antagonism.

Glyphosate and SC-0224 at 75 or 150 g ae/ha, applied to alfalfa foliage after field dodder and largeseed dodder were parasitically well established, controlled dodder selectively. Glyphosate applied at any time over a range of developmental stages stopped the growth of dodder. Control was best when the herbicides were applied when alfalfa was 20 to 30 cm tall, when maximum length of dodder shoots was 30 to 60 cm, and while host and parasite were both vegetative and growing vigorously. Later application allowed dodder to injure alfalfa before being controlled, and earlier application sometimes allowed dodder to recover and suppress alfalfa before the hay was cut.

Adjuvants are used to improve spray delivery, to increase spray retention on weed foliage, and to enhance foliar penetration by postemergence herbicides for increased herbicide efficacy. Numerous factors govern adjuvant efficacy, including the specific herbicide, plant species, and environmental conditions. Adding superior surfactants as adjuvants to a sethoxydim tank mix with Na-bentazon may overcome the Na-bentazon antagonsim of sethoxydim activity by facilitating increased sethoxydim absorption and by masking the antagonism similar to increasing the sethoxydim rate. Herbicides such as Na-bentazon contribute alkaline or alkaline earth cations that can form salts of a weakly acidic herbicide such as sethoxydim that are not absorbed readily by the plant. Adding abundant ammonium from ammonium sulfate or other sources may prevent and/or may overcome this antagonism.

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine ‘Len’ hard red spring wheat response to triallate and chlorsulfuron applied separately and together. Chlorsulfuron at 12 or 23 g/ha plus preplant incorporated (PPI) triallate at 1120 g/ha antagonized triallate toxicity to wheat. Chlorsulfuron reduced triallate injury to wheat less when applied preemergence (PRE) after PPI triallate compared to both herbicides applied PPI. Soaking wheat seeds in 21 and 31 ppbw chlorsulfuron solutions for 24 h before placing into triallate-treated soil did not reduce triallate injury to wheat. Applying chlorsulfuron to triallate did not reduce triallate toxicity to wild oats.

Established alfalfa treated with glyphosate at 75 or 150 g ae/ha (rates known to control dodder) during the vegetative or bud stage showed symptoms of narrowed leaves and mildly chlorotic new growth, and yield of one cutting of alfalfa usually was reduced by 10 to 20%. Glyphosate, applied in the vegetative stage, affected the treated foliage more than postharvest regrowth. Applied at bud stage, the regrowth that followed harvest of treated foliage was affected more. Symptoms and effect on yield were greater at 300 g ae/ha, but alfalfa always recovered. Applying glyphosate at 75 or 150 g ae/ha in each of two or three sequential cuttings showed no cumulative effect. Glyphosate and SC-0224 had similar effects on alfalfa and suppressed alfalfa much less than would a severe infestation of dodder.

Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine effects of adding (NH4)2SO4 or urea ammonium nitrate containing 30% N (UAN) and/or substituting BCH 81508 S for crop oil with sethoxydim and sethoxydim plus bentazon applied to corn and large crabgrass. Control was similar with sethoxydim plus crop oil and sethoxydim plus BCH 81508 S. Adding (NH4)2SO4 or UAN moderately improved control with sethoxydim in some experiments. Both (NH4)2SO4 and UAN increased control when added to sethoxydim plus bentazon, with UAN being the more effective ammonium fertilizer. Large crabgrass control with sethoxydim plus bentazon was enhanced more with 1.4 and 2.8 kg/ha (NH4)2SO4 than with 5.6 kg/ha. Substituting BCH 81508 S for crop oil with sethoxydim plus bentazon also increased corn and large crabgrass control. Adding ammonium fertilizers plus substituting BCH 81508 S for crop oil with sethoxydim plus bentazon eliminated antagonism on corn and partially alleviated antagonism on large crabgrass.

A survey to determine the frequency and weed control impact of enhanced degradation of butylate or EPTC in field soils receiving repeat applications of these herbicides was conducted in a sugarbeet and three corn growing areas of Nebraska. All seven of the sugarbeet field soils exhibited enhanced EPTC degradation. In the corn areas, none of the 13 north central and southeast field soils displayed accelerated degradation; however, 10 of the 16 south central field soils did. In south central Nebraska, 60% and 45% of the surveyed growers were dissatisfied with weed control from butylate or EPTC in 1983 and 1984, respectively, compared to 24% and none in other survey areas. Enhanced herbicide degradation and the presence of shattercane were the main reasons for the disparity among areas.

Mortality of potted huisache seedlings averaged 87 to 100% 18 weeks after picloram or clopyralid was applied with a model carpeted roller at concentrations as low as 7.5 g ae/L. A 1:1 mixture of picloram and clopyralid was equally effective. Triclopyr was effective only when applied to small seedlings in the spring, and an ester was more effective than an amine formulation. A 1:1 mixture of clopyralid and triclopyr ester was intermediate in effectiveness between the two herbicides applied alone. Adding surfactant increased canopy reduction and plant mortality (P = 0.1 to 0.01), especially at lower herbicide concentrations.

Experimental objectives were to assess metribuzin tolerance of predominately privately developed soybean cultivars and to evaluate a greenhouse screening procedure. In field results in 1982, ‘Vinton 81’, ‘Northrup King 1884’ and ‘L77-1863’ soybean cultivars were extremely sensitive to metribuzin at 0.56 kg/ha, averaging 34% injury. The other 45 cultivars showed no significant injury at the 0.56 kg/ha rate, from 9 to 46% injury at 1.4 kg/ha, and 18 to 72% injury at 2.2 kg/ha. In greenhouse hydroponic studies, these same three soybean cultivars were killed, while the other 45 cultivars were injured from 15 to 82%. A good agreement of greenhouse and field data was determined, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.82.

Antagonism was evaluated among four grass and seven broadleaf herbicides applied postemergence for seedling and rhizome johnsongrass control in soybeans. Imazaquin and chlorimuron were most antagonistic to grass herbicides. Haloxyfop and quizalofop were least affected by the addition of broadleaf herbicides. Johnsongrass control was reduced 11 to 46% when grass herbicides were applied with broadleaf herbicides and were evaluated 3 and 12 weeks after treatment (WAT).