Control of common waterhemp in corn with chloroacetamide and dinitroaniline herbicides can be inconsistent. Common waterhemp control by dimethenamid, S-metalochlor, pendimethalin, and three formulations of acetochlor, applied alone or with atrazine as single preemergence (PRE) or sequential PRE followed by postemergence (POST) treatment, was determined. The manufacturer's suggested use rate (1 time) of PRE herbicides was compared with sequential applications (0.66 time PRE followed by 0.34 time POST) of herbicides. POST applications included dicamba to control emerged common waterhemp. Single and sequential herbicide applications controlled common waterhemp at least 98%, 28 d after planting (DAP). But herbicides applied sequentially were more effective than PRE treatments by 56 DAP. Encapsulated acetochlor formulations controlled common waterhemp at least 85% by 56 DAP regardless of application method. Sequential applications of S-metolachlor controlled common waterhemp greater than 83%. Atrazine improved common waterhemp control regardless of herbicide or application method 56 DAP. Sequential applications of dimethenamid or S-metolachlor alone or with atrazine were more effective than single PRE applications of these herbicides.

This article examines the changes in herbicide use in relation to canola production in Western Canada, comparing 1995 and 2006. The commercialization and widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant (HR) canola has changed weed management practices in Western Canada. Before the introduction of HR canola, weeds were controlled by herbicides and tillage as the leading herbicides at that time required tillage to allow for soil incorporation of the herbicide. Much of the tillage associated with HR canola production has been eliminated as 64% of producers are now using zero or minimum tillage as their preferred form of crop and soil management. Additionally, there have been significant changes regarding the use and application of herbicides for weed control in canola. This research shows that when comparing canola production in 1995 and 2006, the environmental impact of herbicides applied to canola decreased 53%, producer exposure to chemicals decreased 56%, and quantity of active ingredient applied decreased 1.3 million kg. The cumulative environmental impact was reduced almost 50% with the use of HR herbicides. If HR canola had not been developed and Canadian canola farmers continued to use previous production technologies, the amount of active ingredient applied to control weeds in 2007 would have been 60% above what was actually applied.

A late-summer survey of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds was conducted in Alberta in 2007, Manitoba in 2008, and Saskatchewan in 2009, totaling 1,000 randomly selected annually cropped fields. In addition, we screened 1,091 weed seed samples (each sample from one field) submitted by Prairie growers between 2007 and 2011. Of 677 fields where wild oat samples were collected, 298 (44%) had an HR biotype. Group 1 (acetyl CoA carboxylase inhibitor)-HR wild oat was confirmed in 275 fields (41%), up from 15% in previous baseline surveys (2001 to 2003). Group 2 (acetolactate synthase)-HR wild oat was found in 12% of fields (vs. 8% in 2001 to 2003). Group 8 (triallate, difenzoquat)-HR wild oat was identified in only 8% of fields (not tested in 2001 to 2003); the frequency of occurrence of group 1+2-HR wild oat was similar (8%, vs. 3% in 2001 to 2003). Group 1-HR green foxtail was found in 27% of 209 fields sampled for the weed (vs. 6% in 2001 to 2003). Group 2-HR spiny sowthistle was confirmed in all Alberta fields sampled (vs. 67% in 2001); common chickweed was found mainly in Alberta in 40% of fields (vs. 17% in 2001). Group 2-HR weed biotypes not previously detected in the baseline surveys included false cleavers mainly in Alberta (17% of fields) and Saskatchewan (21%), Powell amaranth in Manitoba (16% of fields), wild mustard (three populations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and wild buckwheat (one population in Alberta). No sampled weed populations across the Prairies were found to be resistant to herbicides from group 4 (synthetic auxins), group 9 (glyphosate), or group 10 (glufosinate). Based on the proportion of total field area at each site infested with HR weeds, it is estimated that 7.7 million ha (29% of annually cropped land) are infested with HR weeds (eight-fold increase from 2001 to 2003), in a total field area of 9.9 million ha (37%)—over a two-fold increase. Of 816 cases of HR wild oat identified from submitted samples, 69% were group 1-HR, 15% group 2-HR, and 16% group 1+2-HR. Additionally, there were 10 populations of group 1-HR green foxtail in Saskatchewan or Manitoba, and six populations of group 1-HR Persian darnel in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Various group 2-HR broadleaf weeds were identified, including 17 wild mustard populations mainly from Saskatchewan and 39 cleavers populations across the three Prairie provinces. Herbicide-use data from 2006 to 2010 indicated continued reliance on group 1 herbicides in cereal crops and group 2 herbicides in pulse crops.

Control of glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed in no-till cotton has become a serious challenge for midsouth producers. Control of GR horseweed prior to no-till cotton planting (burndown) was examined with glufosinate applied at a standard rate (0.47 kg ai/ha) 30, 21, and 14 d before planting (DBP) and at 0.35 and 0.58 kg ai/ha 14 DBP. Glufosinate at 0.47 kg ai/ha was also tank-mixed with 2,4-D, dicamba, or flumioxazin 30 DBP, and with diuron, pendimethalin, prometryn, or glyphosate at 14 DBP. Glufosinate applied at the standard rate 21 or 30 DBP did not control GR horseweed (<55%), but did provide better control (85%) when applied 14 DBP. The high rate of glufosinate (0.58 kg ai/ha) applied 14 DBP controlled GR horseweed. Tank mixtures of glufosinate with dicamba or 2,4-D at 30 DBP controlled GR horseweed. Tank mixtures of glufosinate with either prometryn or diuron provided initial burndown and residual weed control. Tank mixtures of glufosinate + pendimethalin or flumioxazin did not increase control of existing horseweed, but did provide residual control 56 days after application.

Indaziflam is an alkylazine herbicide that controls annual grasses by inhibiting cellulose biosynthesis. Compared with other PRE herbicides like prodiamine, indaziflam has a longer half-life in soil (> 150 d), which may allow for greater flexibility with application timing. Research was conducted in 2010 in Tennessee and Georgia evaluating smooth crabgrass control efficacy with indaziflam applied at early PRE, PRE, and early POST timings on the basis of soil temperature. Regardless of application timing, all rates of indaziflam (35, 52.5, and 70 g ai ha−1) controlled smooth crabgrass 89 to 100%. Prodiamine at 840 g ai ha−1 applied PRE provided ≥ 99% smooth crabgrass control on all rating dates. Smooth crabgrass plant counts were significantly correlated (r = −0.961; p < 0.0001) with visual ratings of smooth crabgrass control at the end of the study. Application flexibility with indaziflam may benefit turf managers in scheduling herbicide applications for smooth crabgrass control in Tennessee and Georgia.

Many upland pastures and forest meadows in the western United States contain significant infestations of yellow hawkweed and oxeye daisy. Documentation of infestations is necessary in order to plan and assess control tactics. Previous work with an airborne charge coupled device (CCD) with spectral filters indicated that flowering yellow hawkweed with at least 30% cover was detectable at 1 m resolution. A single image of a large area may not capture all plants in the flowering phase and multiple images are costly. The objective of this paper was to assess the accuracy of images recorded at different phenological stages. We compared three methods of classification: unsupervised classification of a three principal component analysis image, supervised classification of a three principal component analysis image, and supervised classification of a composited image consisting of four bands and normalized difference near infrared (NIR)/red band. Regardless of the classification method, images of yellow hawkweed and oxeye daisy in full bloom had lower classification error than at early bloom or post bloom. The percent error for yellow hawkweed classification was about twice as high at post bloom as at full bloom, but varied slightly depending on the method of classification and cover class. The ability to detect discrete colonies of yellow hawkweed was not affected by phenological stage, but the ability to measure the area of each cluster differed among stages. Less than one-third fo the pixels classified as yellow hawkweed or oxeye daisy in the early bloom image remained in the same class in the full bloom image. About half the pixels in the full bloom image remained in the 90 to 100% cover class at the post bloom image. Seasonal growth of the grasses masked some yellow hawkweed and oxeye daisy plants, and accounted for differences in classification among phenological stages.

Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the response of purple and yellow nutsedge to selective soil placement of 5 cm of soil treated with MON-12037 above and/or below the nutsedge tubers. MON-12037 at 53 g/ai ha applied as a foliar, soil, or foliar + soil application also were evaluated. MON-12037 placement above, below, or above + below the nutsedge tuber decreased shoot number, shoot dry weight, shoot regrowth dry weight, and root-tuber dry weight production in both species, 30 and 60 d after treatment. MON-12037 applied as a foliar, soil, and foliar + soil treatment was effective in reducing purple nutsedge shoot regrowth dry weight to less than 5% of the non-treated control. Yellow nutsedge shoot regrowth dry weight from the foliar + soil and soil-only applications was less than 1% of the non-treated control.

The interaction of imazethapyr and selected graminicides on annual grass control was studied in field experiments. Tank-mix combinations of imazethapyr with clethodim, fluazifop-P, quizalofop, or sethoxydim resulted in an antagonistic interaction. Control of large crabgrass, fall panicum, and broadleaf signalgrass by each graminicide decreased when tank-mixed with imazethapyr as compared with each graminicide applied alone. Sequential applications of imazethapyr, relative to each graminicide, successfully overcame the antagonism. Imazethapyr applied 5 d before or 1 d after each of the graminicides did not decrease grass weed control compared with each graminicide alone. Imazethapyr applied 3 or 1 d before, or the same day as the graminicides, generally decreased grass weed control.

Greenhouse dose–response studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of PRE and POST applications of saflufenacil on blue mustard, flixweed, Palmer amaranth, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed. Weed species did not differ in their responses to saflufenacil applied PRE. Averaged across species, PRE application of saflufenacil at 6 to 30 g/ha reduced weed biomass 82 to 98%, but biomass did not differ among rates of 12 g/ha or higher. POST application of saflufenacil reduced weed biomass by 92%, averaged across species and rates. On the basis of regression analysis, the 90% plant biomass reduction for saflufenacil applied PRE and POST was 9 and 6 g/ha, respectively. Saflufenacil applied PRE reduced population density by 77 to 98%, averaged across weed species; a rate of 9 g/ha reduced population density 90% (DR90) on the basis of regression analysis. Averaged across species, POST application of 6 to 30 g/ha reduced population density by 63 to 93%, but regression analysis indicated that the DR90 value was greater than 30 g/ha. Averaged across rates, saflufenacil reduced the population density of flixweed, Palmer amaranth, redroot pigweed, tumble pigweed, and blue mustard by 49, 64, 67, 73, and 78%, respectively.

Field studies were conducted near Lewiston–Woodville and Rocky Mount, NC to evaluate the effects of mixed weed species on peanut yield. A combination of broadleaf and grass weeds were allowed to interfere with peanut for various intervals to determine both the critical timing of weed removal and the critical weed-free period. These periods were then combined to determine the critical period of weed control in peanut. The effects of various weedy intervals on peanut yield were also investigated. The predicted critical period of weed control, in the presence of a mixed population of weeds, was found to be from 3 to 8 wk after planting (WAP). Peanut yield decreased as weed interference intervals increased, demonstrating the need for weed control throughout much of the growing season in the presence of mixed weed populations.

Field experiments were initiated at Alliance and Hairy Hill, Alberta, in 1989 to investigate the effects of conventional tillage, zero tillage, and four levels of nitrogen fertilizer on continuous barley production. In both tillage systems, the nitrogen was banded 6 to 8 cm deep between alternate barley rows. Herbicides were used for weed control each year. The influence of tillage and nitrogen on weed seed population dynamics was determined in 1991 and 1992. In the zero-tillage system, a large proportion of the weed seeds were present either at the soil surface or at the 5- to 10-cm depth. Green foxtail, the dominant species at Alliance, was also present at Hairy Hill where field pennycress was dominant. Green foxtail was consistently associated with low (residual) nitrogen and, in most cases, with conventional tillage. At both locations, green foxtail populations tended to decrease to very low levels as nitrogen rate increased, especially in zero tillage. At Hairy Hill, field pennycress populations in the soil seedbank were higher in zero tillage compared with conventional tillage, but plants that emerged from the soil seedbank in the field in spring were lower in zero tillage. Field pennycress populations were highest under low nitrogen. The results indicate that banding nitrogen has the potential to be an effective tool for green foxtail and field pennycress management in conventional- and zero-tillage systems, resulting in less dependence on herbicides for their control.

Field trials were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to determine the influence of glufosinate and glyphosate application rates, application timings, and interrow cultivation on weed control and corn yield. Glufosinate-ammonium rates ranged from 0.18 to 0.41 kg ai/ha, while rates for the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate ranged from 0.21 to 0.84 kg ae/ha. Increasing rates of glufosinate and glyphosate often improved weed control. Control of many of the weed species was improved by delaying herbicide application timing. Weed control was most consistent from late postemergence (LPOST) applications of glufosinate at 0.41 kg ai/ha or glyphosate at 0.84 kg ae/ha. Corn yields were reduced due to incomplete weed control when the lowest rate of glufosinate was applied. Weed control from early postemergence (EPOST) glufosinate and glyphosate applications followed by cultivation was similar to weed control from LPOST glufosinate and glyphosate applications without cultivation. Interrow cultivation following glufosinate or glyphosate application did not affect corn yield.

Field studies were conducted to determine rhizomatous johnsongrass and barnyardgrass control with clethodim, quizalofop-P-ethyl, fluazifop-P, sethoxydim, fenoxaprop-ethyl, and quizalofop-P-tefuryl applied alone and with lactofen, imazaquin, chlorimuron, and fomesafen. Graminicides applied alone controlled johnsongrass and barnyardgrass 83 to 99%. Of the graminicides evaluated, clethodim was the most susceptible to decreased grass control in mixture with broadleaf herbicides. Imazaquin and chlorimuron were most antagonistic of the broadleaf herbicides toward the activity of graminicides. Clethodim mixed with imazaquin reduced johnsongrass control as much as 64% and mixed with chlorimuron reduced barnyardgrass control as much as 52%. Quizalofop-P-tefuryl was least affected by broadleaf herbicides and fomesafen was least antagonistic in mixture with graminicides.

Studies were conducted at Clayton, Goldsboro, and Rocky Mount, NC, to evaluate weed and cotton response to herbicide programs in glyphosate-resistant cotton. Just prior to cotton harvest, programs containing norflurazon, trifluralin, fluometuron, glyphosate, MSMA, cyanazine, and/or pyrithiobac in various combinations controlled common lambsquarters, common ragweed, goosegrass, ivyleaf morningglory, and smooth pigweed at least 94%. Glyphosate-resistant cotton injury was no more than 5%. Yields for glyphosate programs differed only at Clayton, where glyphosate programs containing residual herbicides yielded more than glyphosate alone. Depending on location, programs utilizing glyphosate as needed required a minimum of two and a maximum of four applications to prevent yield loss when minimal soil-applied herbicides were used. Other as-needed programs required one-three glyphosate applications, depending on location. For comparison based on application, herbicide, and adjuvant costs, the standard program of trifluralin preplant incorporated (PPI), pyrithiobac postemergence (POST), and fluometuron plus MSMA postemergence-directed (PD) was $119/ha compared with trifluralin PPI followed by (fb) two applications of glyphosate ($54/ha) or four applications of glyphosate ($94/ha).

Earlier reports have summarized crop yield losses throughout various North American regions if weeds were left uncontrolled. Offered here is a report from the current WSSA Weed Loss Committee on potential yield losses due to weeds based on data collected from various regions of the United States and Canada. Dry bean yield loss estimates were made by comparing dry bean yield in the weedy control with plots that had >95% weed control from research studies conducted in dry bean growing regions of the United States and Canada over a 10-year period (2007 to 2016). Results from these field studies showed that dry bean growers in Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Ontario, and Manitoba would potentially lose an average of 50%, 31%, 36%, 59%, 94%, 31%, 71%, 56%, and 71% of their dry bean yield, respectively. This equates to a monetary loss of US $36, 40, 6, 56, 421, 2, 18, 44, and 44 million, respectively, if the best agronomic practices are used without any weed management tactics. Based on 2016 census data, at an average yield loss of 71.4% for North America due to uncontrolled weeds, dry bean production in the United States and Canada would be reduced by 941,000,000 and 184,000,000 kg, valued at approximately US $622 and US $100 million, respectively. This study documents the dramatic yield and monetary losses in dry beans due to weed interference and the importance of continued funding for weed management research to minimize dry bean yield losses.

Dicamba or 2,4-D will be used POST for the control of weeds in soybean when dicamba- or 2,4-D-resistant soybean are commercialized. The active ingredients of both herbicides are weak acids in solution and may bind to cations present from hard water used as herbicide carrier or from foliar fertilizers added to spray solutions. The objectives of this research were (1) to determine if the efficacy of dicamba or 2,4-D are influenced by divalent cations, namely calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn), in the spray solution, and (2) to determine if adding ammonium sulfate (AMS) to the spray solution can overcome antagonism. The factorial study included five cation solutions (deionized water [dH2O], Ca at 590 mg L−1, Mg at 630 mg L−1, Mn at 4.97 L ha−1, and Zn at 2.33 L ha−1), two herbicide treatments (dicamba or 2,4-D), and two water conditioner treatments (without or with AMS at 20.37 g L−1). Treatments were applied to common lambsquarters, horseweed, and redroot pigweed. Control of horseweed and redroot pigweed increased when AMS was added to the 2,4-D treatments, irrespective of cation solution. Control of common lambsquarters was increased when AMS was added to 2,4-D for only the Ca and Mn cation solution. In contrast to the results obtained with 2,4-D, control of horseweed with dicamba was not influenced by cation solution. Tank-mixing AMS with dicamba increased control of both redroot pigweed and common lambsquarters in the dH2O, Mg, and Mn solutions.

Herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs) have been used extensively during the past five decades, because crop tolerance is necessary for a selective herbicide. In the past, chemical company personnel screened a large number of organic compounds against a limited number of major crop and weed species to discover HRCs. Now a single herbicide can be evaluated for crop selectivity against a great number of biotypes of a single crop in tissue culture, or sometimes gene transfer can be used to produce tolerant genotypes. Thus, one can now choose an environmentally “benign” herbicide and search for or develop resistant crop cultivars. The advantages of these new HRCs are: (a) solutions may be more easily found for difficult weed management problems, (b) growers are more apt to use integrated weed management when they have effective backup weed control procedures if cultural or mechanical methods fail, (c) increased weed management options for growers of minor crops, (d) economic advantages to growers, and (e) increased use of more environmentally “benign” herbicides. Concerns about HRCs include: (a) these weed management procedures do not eliminate herbicides, (b) some believe biotechnology should not further herbicide use, (c) HRCs may become weeds, (d) this approach may facilitate less ecological diversity, (e) HRCs may increase herbicide use, (f) it could result in more herbicide carryover by facilitating the use of environmentally “harsh” herbicides, (g) HRCs may be less competitive to weeds, and (h) dependence on HRCs may decrease the weed control practices that a farmer uses. One needs to consider both the benefits and risks of HRCs to properly evaluate this technology.

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth has become a serious pest in parts of the Cotton Belt. Some GR cotton cultivars also contain the WideStrike™ insect resistance trait, which confers tolerance to glufosinate. Use of glufosinate-based management systems in such cultivars could be an option for managing GR Palmer amaranth. The objective of this study was to evaluate crop tolerance and weed control with glyphosate-based and glufosinate-based systems in PHY 485 WRF cotton. The North Carolina field experiment compared glyphosate and glufosinate alone and in mixtures applied twice before four- to six-leaf cotton. Additional treatments included glyphosate and glufosinate mixed with S-metolachlor or pyrithiobac applied to one- to two-leaf cotton followed by glyphosate or glufosinate alone on four- to six-leaf cotton. All treatments received a residual lay-by application. Excellent weed control was observed from all treatments on most weed species. Glyphosate was more effective than glufosinate on glyphosate-susceptible (GS) Palmer amaranth and annual grasses, while glufosinate was more effective on GR Palmer amaranth. Annual grass and GS Palmer amaranth control by glyphosate plus glufosinate was often less than control by glyphosate alone but similar to or greater than control by glufosinate alone, while mixtures were more effective than either herbicide alone on GR Palmer amaranth. Glufosinate caused minor and transient injury to the crop, but no differences in cotton yield or fiber quality were noted. This research demonstrates glufosinate can be applied early in the season to PHY 485 WRF cotton without concern for significant adverse effects on the crop. Although glufosinate is often less effective than glyphosate on GS Palmer amaranth, GR Palmer amaranth can be controlled with well-timed applications of glufosinate. Use of glufosinate in cultivars with the WideStrike trait could fill a significant void in current weed management programs for GR Palmer amaranth in cotton.

The effect of methylated seed oil (MSO), the organosilicone adjuvant DC-X2-5394, and ammonium sulfate on the efficacy, absorption, and spray retention of primisulfuron applied alone or with atrazine, dicamba, and bentazon to shattercane and giant foxtail was evaluated. Primisulfuron efficacy on both species was reduced by the three tank-mix combinations. Atrazine antagonism was not explained by decreases in foliar absorption and/or spray retention. Reductions in primisulfuron absorption and/or foliar spray retention appeared to cause bentazon antagonism on both weeds and dicamba antagonism on shattercane. MSO, DC-X2-5394, and ammonium sulfate completely reversed dicamba and bentazon antagonism on shattercane and partially reversed bentazon antagonism on giant foxtail by increasing foliar absorption and/or spray retention. Compared with non-ionic surfactant, MSO and DC-X2-5394 consistently increased giant foxtail control with primisulfuron by increasing foliar absorption and/or spray retention.

Field experiments were conducted near Beaumont, TX, to evaluate red rice control in imidazolinone-tolerant rice. Imazethapyr was applied preplant incorporated (PPI) and preemergence (PRE) at 70 and 105 g ai/ha and postemergence (POST) at 36, 52, and 70 g/ha. Single imazethapyr applications were made at each rate and timing and in sequential PPI or PRE followed by POST treatments. Red rice control ranged from 92 to 98% with sequential imazethapyr applications. Red rice control was higher when imazethapyr was applied PPI alone than PRE alone. But when these treatments were followed by a POST application of imazethapyr, there were no differences in red rice control between PPI and PRE application. Red rice control with sequential treatments was not improved with increased rates of imazethapyr POST. Visual injury to the 93AS3510 imidazolinone-tolerant variety was 5% or less 20 d after treatment (DAT), and there was no injury by 45 DAT. But POST applications of 70 g/ha imazethapyr may produce minor yield reductions to this experimental variety without improving red rice control. Results indicate that an imidazolinone-tolerant rice production system can be effective for controlling red rice and that PRE applications must be followed by a POST application to achieve maximum red rice control. PPI applications of imazethapyr at 70 g/ha should also be followed by a POST application to maximize red rice control.