In response to concerns about acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor–resistant weeds in wheat production systems, we explored the efficacy of managing Bromus spp., downy and Japanese bromes, in a winter wheat system using alternative herbicide treatments applied in either fall or spring. Trials were established at Lethbridge and Kipp, Alberta, and Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada over three growing seasons (2012–2014) to compare the efficacy of pyroxasulfone (a soil-applied very-long-chain fatty acid elongase inhibitor; WSSA Group 15) and flumioxazin (a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor; WSSA Group 14) against industry-standard ALS-inhibiting herbicides for downy and Japanese brome control. Winter wheat injury from herbicide application was minor, with the exception of flucarbazone application at Scott. Bromus spp. control was greatest with pyroxsulam and all herbicide treatments containing pyroxasulfone. Downy and Japanese bromes were controlled least by thiencarbazone and flumioxazin, respectively, whereas Bromus spp. had intermediate responses to the other herbicides tested. Herbicides applied in fall resulted in reduced winter wheat yield relative to the spring applications. Overall, pyroxasulfone or pyroxsulam provided the most efficacious Bromus spp. control compared with the other herbicides and consistently maintained optimal winter wheat yields. Therefore, pyroxasulfone could facilitate management of Bromus spp. resistant to ALS inhibitors in winter wheat in the southern growing regions of western Canada. Improved weed control and delayed herbicide resistance may be achieved when pyroxasulfone is applied in combination with flumioxazin.

Field studies were established in 1999 and 2000 to evaluate Italian ryegrass, wheat, and double-crop soybean response to fall and spring postemergence applications of flucarbazone, sulfosulfuron, clodinafop, diclofop, and tralkoxydim applied alone and in combination with thifensulfuron + tribenuron to winter wheat. Fall-applied herbicides caused 5% or less wheat injury. Spring-applied herbicides caused 3 to 45% wheat injury, and the greatest injury occurred with the combination of flucarbazone with thifensulfuron + tribenuron in the spring of 2001. Spring-applied sulfosulfuron, tralkoxydim, diclofop, and clodinafop caused 3 to 6% and 16 to 26% wheat injury in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Herbicide injury to wheat did not reduce wheat grain yield compared with the hand-weeded treatment. Italian ryegrass competition in the nontreated plots reduced wheat yield by as much as 33% compared with herbicide-treated plots. Italian ryegrass control was 89 to 99% from clodinafop and diclofop and 78 to 97% from flucarbazone, with no differences because of application timing in either year of the study. Italian ryegrass control from sulfosulfuron and tralkoxydim was greater from the spring of 2000 applications (94 to 99%) compared with the fall of 1999 applications (65 to 88%). However, in 2001, application timing (fall vs. spring) for sulfosulfuron and tralkoxydim did not affect Italian ryegrass control. Thifensulfuron + tribenuron combined with tralkoxydim reduced control of Italian ryegrass control compared with tralkoxydim alone in both years of the study. Italian ryegrass control was not reduced when thifensulfuron + tribenuron was combined with sulfosulfuron, flucarbazone, diclofop, or clodinafop. Italian ryegrass was controlled effectively by the acetyl-CoA carboxylase–inhibiting herbicides diclofop, clodinafop, and tralkoxydim. However, control of Italian ryegrass with the acetolactate synthase–inhibiting herbicides flucarbazone and sulfosulfuron was inconsistent. Double-crop soybean after wheat did not have foliar symptoms or yield loss from fall- or spring-applied herbicides.

Sunflower lines developed to resist some acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides are susceptible to foliar applications of other ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Research was conducted to determine whether imidazolinone (IMI)- or sulfonylurea (SU)-resistant sunflower was affected by soil residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone. In greenhouse experiments, IMI-sunflower displayed 60 and 66% injury 4 wk after emergence with incorporated soil residues of metsulfuron at 4.2 g ai/ha and flucarbazone at 30 g ai/ha, respectively, but response to imazethapyr at 35 g ai/ ha was not different from that of nontreated plants. Metsulfuron at 4.2 g/ha and flucarbazone at 30 g/ha resulted in 56 and 72% less biomass accumulation, respectively, of IMI-sunflower compared with that of nontreated plants. Incorporated soil residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone did not cause significant injury or result in shorter plants or less biomass accumulation of SU-sunflower than nontreated sunflower in greenhouse experiments. In field experiments, nonincorporated residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone did not induce visible chlorosis or significant stunting of IMI- or SU-sunflower compared with nontreated sunflower. Herbicide-resistant sunflower growing in soil with nonincorporated residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone produced seed yield similar to sunflower growing in sulfentrazone-treated soil or nontreated soil.

Glyphosate-tolerant spring wheat currently is being developed and most likely will be the first major genetically engineered crop to be marketed and grown in several areas of the northern Great Plains of the United States. The public has expressed concerns about environmental risks from glyphosate-tolerant wheat. Replacement of traditional herbicide active ingredients with glyphosate in a glyphosate-tolerant spring wheat system may alter ecological risks associated with weed management. The objective of this study was to use a Tier 1 quantitative risk assessment methodology to compare ecological risks for 16 herbicide active ingredients used in spring wheat. The herbicide active ingredients included 2,4-D, bromoxynil, clodinafop, clopyralid, dicamba, fenoxaprop, flucarbazone, glyphosate, MCPA, metsulfuron, thifensulfuron, tralkoxydim, triallate, triasulfuron, tribenuron, and trifluralin. We compared the relative risks of these herbicides to glyphosate to provide an indication of the effect of glyphosate when it is used in a glyphosate-tolerant spring wheat system. Ecological receptors and effects evaluated were avian (acute dietary risk), wild mammal (acute dietary risk), aquatic vertebrates (acute risk), aquatic invertebrates (acute risk), aquatic plants (acute risk), nontarget terrestrial plants (seedling emergence and vegetative vigor), and groundwater exposure. Ecological risks were assessed by integrating toxicity and exposure, primarily using the risk quotient method. Ecological risks for the 15 herbicides relative to glyphosate were highly variable. For risks to duckweed, green algae, groundwater, and nontarget plant seedling emergence, glyphosate had less relative risk than most other active ingredients. The differences in relative risks were most pronounced when glyphosate was compared with herbicides currently widely used on spring wheat.

Italian ryegrass resistance to diclofop has been documented in several countries, including the United States. The purpose of this research was to screen selected putative resistant populations of Italian ryegrass for resistance to the acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)–inhibiting herbicides diclofop and pinoxaden and the acetolactate synthase (ALS)–inhibiting herbicides imazamox, pyroxsulam, and mesosulfuron in the greenhouse and to use field experiments to develop herbicide programs for Italian ryegrass control. Resistance to diclofop was confirmed in eight populations from Tennessee. These eight populations did not show cross-resistance to pinoxaden. One additional population (R1) from Union County, North Carolina, was found to be resistant to both diclofop and pinoxaden. The level of resistance to pinoxaden of the R1 population was 15 times that of the susceptible population. No resistance was confirmed to any of the ALS-inhibiting herbicides examined in this research. Field experiments demonstrated PRE Italian ryegrass control with chlorsulfuron (71 to 94%) and flufenacet + metribuzin (84 to 96%). Italian ryegrass control with pendimethalin applied PRE or delayed preemergence (DPRE) was variable (0 to 85%). POST control of Italian ryegrass was acceptable with pinoxaden, mesosulfuron, flufenacet + metribuzin, and chlorsulfuron + flucarbazone (> 80%). Application timing and herbicide treatment had no effect on wheat yield, except for diclofop and pendimethalin treatments, in which uncontrolled Italian ryegrass reduced wheat yield.

The objective of this study was to determine if the presence of two acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide residues in different Saskatchewan soils would result in additive, synergistic, or antagonistic interactions. This was determined through field trials where herbicides were applied sequentially over the course of 2 yr. The herbicides examined in these experiments were imazamethabenz, flucarbazone, sulfosulfuron, and florasulam, each in combination with imazamox and imazethapyr. The phytotoxicity and persistence of the herbicides in soil was assessed using an oriental mustard root inhibition bioassay. The determination of herbicide interaction was made through the comparison of the experimentally observed values to theoretically expected values derived from a mathematical equation. On the basis of the bioassay analysis, it was found that the herbicide residue combinations resulting from sequentially applied ALS-inhibiting herbicides in the three soils produced additive injury effects rather than synergistic or antagonistic interactions.

Persistent use of herbicides has resulted in the selection of many herbicide-resistant weeds worldwide. A survey of 75 fields in the Palouse region of the inland Pacific Northwest was conducted to determine the extent of Italian ryegrass resistance to grass herbicides commonly used in winter wheat-cropping systems. Plants grown from collected seed samples were tested for resistance to diclofop, clodinafop, quizalofop, tralkoxydim, sethoxydim, clethodim, pinoxaden, triasulfuron, mesosulfuron, flucarbazone, imazamox, and flufenacet/metribuzin. Averaged across herbicide families within a herbicide group, some level of resistance was exhibited in 73, 31, and 31% of the populations to the aryloxyphenoxypropionates, cyclohexanediones, and phenylpyrazoline herbicides, respectively, and 39, 53, and 55% of the populations to the sulfonylureas, sulfonylaminocarbonyltriazolinone, and imidazolinone herbicides, respectively. Twelve percent of the populations showed some level of resistance to flufenacet/metribuzin. Cross-resistance to all acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase-inhibiting (group 1) herbicides was observed in 12% of the populations, whereas 25% of the populations were cross-resistant to all acetolactate synthase-inhibiting (group 2) herbicides tested. Of all the populations tested, 7% exhibited multiple resistance to at least one herbicide within all three groups tested. Only 5% of populations were completely susceptible to all 12 herbicides tested. These results indicate that herbicide-resistant Italian ryegrass populations are now common across much of the Palouse region in northern Idaho and eastern Washington.

Split application of herbicides for wild oat control may minimize wild oat competition with wheat while reducing the number of wild oat seeds returned to the soil. Field experiments were conducted in 2000 and 2001 to evaluate the effects of CGA-184927, fenoxaprop-P, flucarbazone, and ICIA 0604 at labeled and reduced rates on wild oat control, wild oat seed rain, and wheat yield. Each herbicide was applied once at 25, 33, and 100% of the labeled rate at the two-leaf stage of wild oat or split applied at 50 and 66% of the full rate as two equal applications. Excellent full-season wild oat control was obtained with CGA-184927, flucarbazone, and ICIA 0604 applied twice at reduced rates. ICIA 0604 or CGA-184927 split applied at 25 and 33% rates (totaled 50 and 66% of the full rate) provided wild oat control equal to one application of labeled rates. Wild oat seed rain was similar among all herbicide treatments, except plots treated with fenoxaprop-P once at 25 and 33% rates where seed rain was higher and equal to 47% of untreated plots. Wheat yields and net returns were highest and similar after treatment with CGA-184927 or ICIA 0604 applied either once at the labeled rate or split applied at 25 or 33% rates.

Niger is a potential crop for the Northern Great Plains, but not until volunteer canola can be controlled. A study at Indian Head, SK, was conducted from 2007 to 2009 to determine the tolerance of niger to flucarbazone, a herbicide that controls volunteer canola. The tolerance was determined by applying three rates of flucarbazone (19, 28.5, and 38 g ai ha−1) at four application stages (two, four, six, and eight-leaf stage). Mean injury did not exceed 22% for any year by treatment combination. Injury was most prominent in 2007, and dissipated as the growing season progressed. Increasing the rate of flucarbazone increased crop injury depending on the year, application timing, and evaluation timing. Injury under 20% in 2007 and under 10% in 2008 and 2009 was observed at the start of flowering when flucarbazone was applied at the two, four, and six-leaf stage. Injury from applications at the two, four, and six-leaf stage decreased as the growing season progressed. When the labelled rate of flucarbazone for wheat (19 g ha−1) was applied at the two, four, or six leaf stage, injury was below 10%. Injury when flucarbazone was applied at the eight-leaf stage was highest during seed filling. Volunteer canola was controlled by flucarbazone. The application of flucarbazone relative to a weedy control increased yield by about 50% (138 to 213 kg ha−1) in 2008 and 2009. Flucarbazone rate did not affect niger yield except in 2007 where yield was about 100 kg ha−1 less with the two highest rates. Delaying flucarbazone application decreased niger yield, especially in the year (2007) with most niger injury. Flucarbazone application at the two- or four-leaf niger stage at a rate of 19 g ha−1 provided a good balance of weed control and crop tolerance.

Eight hard red spring wheat cultivars were tested for tolerance to five postemergence grass herbicides at two locations in Minnesota in 1999 and 2000 at the labeled, one and one-half, or twice the labeled rate. Fenoxaprop plus safener and ICIA 0604 caused the least injury and did not reduce grain yield for most cultivars. Flucarbazone caused intermediate injury and a slight decrease in grain yield for half the cultivars tested. Difenzoquat caused the most injury, regardless of whether the cultivar was genetically sensitive to difenzoquat. Tank-mixing difenzoquat with imazamethabenz reduced injury, even for cultivars that were not genetically sensitive to difenzoquat. Drought stress before application of the postemergence grass herbicides that contain difenzoquat resulted in more potential for crop injury. Excess precipitation combined with high temperatures after application resulted in more potential for crop injury for the other postemergence grass herbicides included in this experiment.

Field experiments were conducted at the Montana State University Southern Agricultural Research Center, Huntley, MT, in 2011 through 2013 to determine the effect of nitrogen (N) rate, seeding rate, and weed removal timing on weed interference in barley. A delay in weed removal timing from the 3- to 4-leaf (LF) stage to the 8- to 10-LF stage of barley resulted in up to 3.5-fold increase in total weed biomass and 10% reduction in barley biomass, and this was unaffected by a N rate that ranged from 56 (low) to 168 (high) kg ha−1. The effect of N rate on barley biomass was more pronounced when weed removal was delayed from the 3- to 4-LF stage to the 8- to 10-LF stage of barley and in nontreated plots. Increasing the barley seeding rate from 38 to 152 kg ha−1 increased the barley plant density by 50%, biomass by 13%, and grain yield by 29%, averaged over N rates and weed removal timing. On the basis of 5 and 10% levels of acceptable yield loss, the addition of ≥112 kg N ha−1 delayed the critical timing of weed removal by at least 1.3 wk in barley, compared with the 56 kg N ha−1 rate. A medium or high N rate prevented reduction in barley grain quality (plumpness and test weight) observed when the seeding rate was increased from 38 to 76 or 152 kg ha−1 at the low N rate. In a separate greenhouse study, the effect of N rate on the effectiveness of various herbicides for controlling wild oat, green foxtail, kochia, or Russian thistle was investigated. Results highlighted that wild oat or green foxtail grown under 56 kg N ha−1 (low N) soil required 1.4 to 2.6 times higher doses of clodinafop, fenoxaprop, flucarbazone, glyphosate, glufosinate, pinoxaden, or tralkoxydim for 50% reduction in shoot dry weights (GR50) compared with plants grown under 168 kg N ha−1 (high N). Similarly, a reduced efficacy of thifensulfuron methyl + tribenuron methyl, metsulfuron methyl, or bromoxynil+pyrasulfotole was observed (evident from the GR50 values) for kochia or Russian thistle grown under low- vs. high-N soil. Information gained from this research will aid in developing cost-effective, integrated weed management (IWM) strategies in cereals and in educating growers on the importance of fertilizer N management as a component of IWM programs.