Clomazone dissipation in soil was examined in field and laboratory experiments. Field studies suggested a potential for injury to rotational crops such as wheat. Field half-lives were 5 to 29 d (average of 9 field studies was 19 d) for the Etowah clay loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic typic Paleudult) and Lily loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic typic Hapludult) soils. Clomazone had an average half-life of 34 d under lab conditions, indicating slower dissipation in the lab than in the field. Clomazone was moderately adsorbed to soil as indicated by a Kd of about 1, and a Kom of 52 in the two soils.

Two field residue studies were conducted from 2005 to 2007 in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada, to evaluate the effects of mesotrione soil residues on injury, plant dry weight, and yield of sugar beet, cucumber, pea, green bean, and soybean and to verify the potential of reducing a 2-yr field-residue study (conventional residue carryover) to a 1-yr field study (simulated residue-carryover study) by growing these crops in soil treated with reduced rates of mesotrione applied in the same year. There was a significant difference in mesotrione carryover between 2006 and 2007 and differences between years can be explained by differences in soil pH and soil moisture. The conventional and the simulated residue-carryover studies successfully measured mesotrione persistence and rotational crop sensitivity. Both studies showed that sugar beet was the most-sensitive crop with injury, plant dry weight reduction, and yield loss because of mesotrione residues as high as 100%. Green bean was the next most-sensitive crop to mesotrione residues followed by pea, cucumber, and soybean. The simulated residue-carryover study provided a more-rigorous test of rotational crop sensitivity to mesotrione residues than the conventional residue-carryover study, especially at higher rates for the more-sensitive crops. For the other crops, responses to mesotrione residues were similar between the conventional and simulated residue-carryover studies.

Field experiments were conducted in 2001 and 2002 at two sites in Ohio to characterize the effect of isoxaflutole herbicide applied the previous year to field corn on processing tomato, bell pepper, cabbage, snapbean, and cucumber. Isoxaflutole was applied preemergence to field corn in 2001 at 0, 53, 70, 105, and 210 g ai/ha. There were no rotational crop cultivar by herbicide rate interactions at either site. Generally, there was a higher level of visible injury on crops at the Fremont site. Isoxaflutole residues at either site did not affect processing tomato yield. Bell pepper yield was reduced 33% when rotated into 210 g ai/ha rate plots only at Fremont. Snapbean marketable yield was reduced by isoxaflutole carryover from 70 and 210 g ai/ha rates resulting in 0.39 and 0.0 t/ha at Fremont. Similarly, isoxaflutole soil residues from 105 and 210 g ai/ha resulted in 14 and 24% visible injury on cucumber but did not reduce marketable yield. Site differences in soil characteristics and precipitation in the application year may have contributed to observed differences in crop response.

Field studies were conducted from 1998 to 2000 in Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to determine the effects of sulfentrazone carryover to a cotton rotational crop from sulfentrazone applied the previous year. Sulfentrazone applied the previous year at 400 g/ha caused no yield loss in Tennessee, >30% yield reduction in Oklahoma, and 20% yield loss in Arkansas and North Carolina. In most experiments in this study, visual evaluations of injury closely correlated with final cotton lint yield (r2 =0.84).

Research was conducted along the Texas Gulf Coast in 1998 and 1999 to determine trifloxysulfuron soil persistence and potential injury to corn, grain sorghum, rice, and soybeans. Trifloxysulfuron was applied at 0, 7.5, and 60 g/ha to plots 0, 15, 30, 60, and 90 d prior to planting of crops. Corn and grain sorghum were more sensitive to trifloxysulfuron than rice and soybeans when planted 0 to 90 d after treatment (DAT). Trifloxysulfuron was more persistent at the San Patricio location than at Fort Bend, which had a lower soil pH. However, no phytotoxicity or plant-height reduction was observed at the four locations with corn, grain sorghum, rice, and soybeans planted 209 to 312 DAT. Greenhouse data showed that neither corn nor sunflower planted 209 to 312 DAT were adversely affected by either rate of trifloxysulfuron. Trifloxysulfuron applied to cotton up to 20 g/ha the previous year should not cause phytotoxicity to corn, grain sorghum, rice, or soybeans when grown in rotation under soil and weather conditions similar to those in these studies.

Sulfonylurea herbicide residues in soil can affect rotational crops even at low concentrations. Although analytical methods are efficient enough to measure them, the lack of an efficient herbicide extraction technique makes bioassays useful for determining the presence of phytotoxic levels of sulfonylurea residues in soil. A growth chamber bioassay using sunflower was developed to detect MON-37500 and triasulfuron residues in two different soils. Root length was measured 15 d after the treatment. A sigmoid equation described plant root length response as a function of herbicide concentration. The nonlinear regression established a range of I50 values from 0.9 to 2.9 ppb ai for both sulfonylureas.

Trials were established in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in Ontario, Canada, to determine the effect of soil residues of saflufenacil on growth, yield, and quality of eight rotational crops planted 1 yr after application. In the year of establishment, saflufenacil was applied PRE to field corn at rates of 75, 100, and 200 g ai ha−1. Cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, pea, pepper, potato, and sugar beet were planted 1 yr later, maintained weed-free, and plant dry weight, yield, and quality measures of interest to processors for each crop were determined. Reductions in dry weight and yield of all grades of cucumber were determined at both the 100 and 200 g ha−1 rates of saflufenacil. Plant dry weight, bulb number, and size and yield of onion were also reduced by saflufenacil at 100 and 200 g ha−1. Sugar beet plant dry weight and yield, but not sucrose content, were decreased by saflufenacil at 100 and 200 g ha−1. Cabbage plant dry weight, head size, and yield; carrot root weight and yield; and pepper dry weight, fruit number and size, and yield were only reduced in those treatments in which twice the field corn rate had been applied to simulate the effect of spray overlap in the previous year. Pea and potato were not negatively impacted by applications of saflufenacil in the year prior to planting. It is recommended that cabbage, carrot, cucumber, onion, pepper, and sugar beet not be planted the year after saflufenacil application at rates up to 200 g ha−1. Pea and potato can be safely planted the year following application of saflufenacil up to rates of 200 g ha−1.

Five herbicides were tested in green pea, and their residual effects on several rotational crops were investigated in northwestern Washington from 1998 through 2000. In both years, imazamox applied postemergence caused 21 and 28% early-season injury at 0.036 and 0.045 kg/ha, respectively, but only in 1999 did early-season injury result in yield loss compared with nontreated, weedy pea. Trifluralin, clomazone, and sulfentrazone caused 15 to 19% injury to pea in 1998 but not in 1999. Although pea treated with sulfentrazone produced more harvestable pods than nontreated pea (5.0 and 4.1 pods/plant, respectively), pod numbers were similar to peas treated with clomazone, pendimethalin, pendimethalin plus imazamox, or trifluralin. All rotationally grown crops were tolerant to herbicides used in green pea, except for strawberry in 1999, in which leaf area was reduced 23% in plots treated with 0.045 kg/ha imazamox compared with nontreated plots. Intensive tillage combined with favorable soil and climatic conditions in this study indicate that western Washington green pea producers may have greater flexibility in their choice of herbicides and rotational crop alternatives than previously believed.

Trials were established in 2003, 2004, and 2005 in Ontario to determine the effects of residues of mesotrione, atrazine, and mesotrione plus atrazine 1 and 2 yr after application on broccoli, carrot, cucumber, onion, and potato. One yr after mesotrione application, injury was 43, 37, 18, 24, and 0% in broccoli, carrot, cucumber, onion, and potato, respectively. The addition of atrazine to mesotrione in the year before planting increased injury to 55, 53, 30, 42, and 3% in broccoli, carrot, cucumber, onion, and potato, respectively. Plant dry weight and yield were also decreased by mesotrione residues the year after application in all crops except potato. The addition of atrazine to mesotrione accentuated the reduction in dry weight and yield in broccoli, carrot, cucumber, and onion. There was no injury, or reductions in dry weight or yield in any crop planted 2 yr after application of mesotrione alone or in tank mix with atrazine. A recropping interval of 2 yr is recommended following applications of mesotrione or mesotrione plus atrazine for broccoli, carrot, cucumber, and onion. Potato can be safely planted the year following application of mesotrione plus atrazine.

While demand continues to grow and prices for organic grains have remained almost double those of conventional grains, few growers in the dryland wheat production region of Eastern Washington produce organic grain. Growers have cited weed control constraints as a top factor preventing adoption of organic production practices. In organic systems, inherent competitive ability of crops is very important in managing and preventing weed infestations. The objective of this study was to identify crop species that could reduce weed pressure and compete with perennial weeds in a wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation. To assess weed suppressive ability of alternative rotational crops, relative total weed biomass and relative biomass of two perennial and three annual weed species were examined over 4 years in three organic cropping systems where winter wheat was in rotation with alternative crops, as part of a long-term study examining dryland organic wheat production. Three years of continuous alfalfa (Medicago sativa) production reduced Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) biomass during the alfalfa production phase, and reduced Canada thistle biomass in winter wheat following alfalfa, compared with wheat following winter pea (Pisum sativum). Alfalfa was competitive with wild oat (Avena fatua), though it competed poorly with winter annual grass weeds. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare), when established successfully, suppressed jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica) more than winter triticale (x Triticosecale), winter wheat, and spring wheat, and demonstrated some competitiveness toward field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). Winter triticale competed poorly with field bindweed, but suppressed Canada thistle and downy brome (Bromus tectorum). All alternative rotational crops contained lower weed biomass than winter pea, the crop typically rotated with wheat in the region. Organic and conventional growers could gain benefits in perennial and winter annual weed suppression by incorporating alternative rotational crops into wheat rotations.