The influence of clay preparation procedure on sorption and hydrolysis of carbaryl (1-naphthyl, A-methyl carbamate) by the reference smectite SWy-2 was examined. For research purposes, reference clays are sometimes used without purification, or more commonly, the <2 μm size fraction is obtained by gravity sedimentation or low-speed centrifugation. We determined that these common methods did not remove all the inorganic carbonate impurities present in SWy-2, and that these impurities caused alkaline conditions in aqueous clay suspensions leading to the alkaline hydrolysis of carbaryl to 1-naphthol. The hydrolytic activity of homoionic K-SWy-2 disappeared once carbonates were eliminated. Two methods were evaluated for preparing K-SWy-2 devoid of inorganic carbonates. In Method A, inorganic carbonates were first removed by incremental additions of a 0.5 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) until the clay suspension reached pH 6.8, followed by low-speed centrifugation to obtain the <2 μm size fraction; in Method B, the order of these steps was reversed. Carbaryl hydrolysis was used as a probe to determine the effectiveness of the two methods in terms of the removal of carbonate accessory minerals. Homoionic K-SWy-2 obtained by Methods A and B produced near neutral pH when suspended in water and hydrolysis of carbaryl in these suspensions was not evident. In this regard, both clay preparation methods were acceptable. However, there were procedural advantages with Method B, which is therefore recommended for the partial purification of reference clays, as detailed in this paper.

Field studies were conducted during 1983 and 1984 to determine the single and interactive effects of trifluralin, soybean thrips, and the sodium salt of acifluorfen on soybean. Increased soybean injury was observed in 1983 when acifluorfen at 0.6 kg ai/ha was applied to soybeans infested with soybean thrips versus plants where soybean thrips were controlled. Soybean injury measured by percent defoliation and visual injury ratings was reduced when thrips were controlled versus soybeans where thrips were not controlled with carbaryl at 0.9 kg ai/ha in 1983. Soybean thrips alone did not reduce soybean seed yield in this study. Acifluorfen reduced soybean photosynthetic rate, shoot weight, root weight, and seed yield. Trifluralin had no effect on soybean growth parameters measured in this study.

Agrichemical interactions between propanil; the herbicides HOE 30374, pendimethalin, piperophos, quinclorac, and thiobencarb; and the insecticide carbaryl were evaluated under field conditions to find synergistic or additive interactions useful to control a barnyardgrass biotype resistant to propanil (R-BYG) without injuring rice. Propanil and each compound were evaluated at four rates for a total of 16 rate combinations for each additive. Averaged over all experiments, 2- to 3-leaf R-BYG control with propanil alone at 0.83, 1.65, 3.3, and 6.6 kg ai/ha was 33, 53, 62, and 81% at 7 d after treatment (DAT). Propanil-susceptible barnyardgrass (S-BYG) response to propanil alone at similar rates was 52, 73, 88, and 94% control. HOE 30374, carbaryl, piperophos, or pendimethalin in combination with propanil produced synergistic effects on R-BYG. For each compound tested, at least one rate combination with propanil controlled R-BYG > 80% with minimal rice injury (< 20%) at 7 DAT. Use of these combinations of compounds could provide more effective control of this resistant biotype and help prevent its spread.

Combinations of thifensulfuron with carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, malathion, and methomyl caused soybean injury that exceeded the expected injury based on effects of herbicide and synergists applied alone. Thifensulfuron-induced injury and growth reductions generally increased as insecticide rates increased from 140 to 560 g ai ha-1. TBPT and fenarimol also synergistically enhanced thifensulfuron injury in soybeans. Yellow foxtail control by thifensulfuron was enhanced slightly by all insecticides except carbaryl. Insecticides did not enhance kochia control by thifensulfuron.

Field experiments were conducted at two locations in 1989 and 1990 to investigate possible interactions between POST applications of primisulfuron and selected soil-applied carbamate and organophosphate corn insecticides. Insecticides were applied in-furrow at planting, at recommended use rates. Primisulfuron was applied POST to corn in the three- or five-leaf stage at 0, 20, 40, or 80 g ai ha-1. Combinations of primisulfuron with disulfoton, fonofos, isozophos, or terbufos resulted in foliar and root injury, plant height reductions, and yield losses. No foliar or root injury, plant height reductions, or yield losses were observed from combinations of primisulfuron and carbaryl, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, or diazinon. Differences among and within the experiments are attributed to edaphic and environmental conditions at the time of primisulfuron application.

Cotton tolerance of DPX-PE350 applied POST alone, mixed with acephate, carbaryl, or dimethoate applied at 220, 1100, or 280 g ai ha−1, respectively, or following aldicarb, disulfoton, or phorate applied in the seed furrow at 1.0, kg ai ha−1 was evaluated. DPX-PE350 at 170 g ae ha−1 did not adversely affect seed cotton yield, fiber length, fiber length uniformity, or micronaire but did decrease fiber strength. The insecticides did not alter cotton response to DPX-PE350. Entireleaf morningglory was controlled 92, 95, and 96% with DPX-PE350 applied POST at 56, 110, and 170 g ha−1, respectively. Mixing acephate, carbaryl, or dimethoate with DPX-PE350 did not affect control.

Field experiments determined the potential interaction of insecticides and propanil [N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) propanamide] in drill-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L. ‘Bond’). The carbamate insecticides carbaryl (1-naphthylmethylcarbamate) and methomyl {S-methyl N-[(methylcarbamoyl) oxy] thioacetimidate} interacted more severely with propanil than the organophosphate methyl parathion [O,O-dimethyl O-(p-nitrophenyl) phosphorothioate] in emulsifiable or encapsulated formulations. Carbaryl and methomyl injured rice vegetatively when applied from 7 days before to 4 days after propanil. Carbaryl was the only insecticide that interacted with propanil to reduce rice grain yield. Insecticides interacted adversely with propanil on rice grain yield when they were applied 2 days before propanil treatment. Insecticide interactions with propanil from most to least phytotoxic to rice plants for all times of application were: carbaryl > methomyl > emulsifiable methyl parathion > encapsulated methyl parathion.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of application rate, growth stage, and tank mixing azimsulfuron, bentazon, MCPA, propanil, or cyhalofop on the efficacy of bispyribac–sodium against early watergrass and late watergrass from rice fields in northern Greece. Mixtures of bispyribac–sodium with the insecticides carbaryl, diazinon, and dichlorvos were also evaluated. Bispyribac–sodium (24 to 36 g ai/ha) applied alone at the three- to four-leaf growth stage provided 89 to 100% control of early watergrass and 84 to 100% control of late watergrass. When bispyribac–sodium was applied alone at the five- to six-leaf growth stage of early watergrass and late watergrass, control ranged from 78 to 100% and 71 to 100%, respectively. Mixtures of bispyribac–sodium with azimsulfuron provided better control of both species at any growth stage than bispyribac–sodium applied alone. On the contrary, mixtures of bispyribac–sodium with bentazon, MCPA, or propanil were less effective on both species at any growth stage than bispyribac–sodium applied alone. A slight efficacy reduction occurred on both species for the mixture of bispyribac–sodium with cyhalofop. Mixtures of bispyribac–sodium with the insecticides carbaryl or dichlorvos showed reduced efficacy on both species, whereas increased efficacy on both species was observed for mixtures of bispyribac–sodium with diazinon as compared with the single application of bispyribac–sodium.

Determining the mechanisms of herbicide resistance in weeds allows for the development and implementation of applied management practices aimed to control and to prevent further spread of herbicide-resistant populations in crop fields. This research was conducted to determine propanil resistance and cross-resistance to other photosystem II (PSII) inhibitors in ricefield bulrush biotypes and to elucidate the mechanism of propanil resistance. To this end, propanil-resistant (R) and propanil-susceptible (S) biotypes were selected from field-collected populations after propanil spraying at the field rate, and whole-plant, dose–response experiments were conducted to evaluate cross-resistance to PSII inhibitors and interactions between propanil and the insecticides malathion and carbaryl. In addition, the psbA gene from R and S biotypes was sequenced for amino acid alterations following polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Plant survival data indicated the R biotype displayed a 14-fold increase in propanil resistance relative to the susceptible (S) biotype. In addition, the propanil-R biotype also had increased resistance to the PSII-inhibitors bromoxynil, diuron, and metribuzin but was more susceptible to bentazon than were propanil-S plants. Synergism between propanil and the insecticides carbaryl and malathion was greater in the S biotype than it was in the R biotype, indicating that, unlike propanil resistance in weedy grasses, enhanced degradation of the herbicide molecule is not a mechanism of resistance for propanil in ricefield bulrush. A Val219 to Ile substitution in the propanil-R chloroplast D1 protein was identified following sequencing of the psbA gene. This research suggests a single-point mutation at the target site causes resistance to propanil, diuron, metribuzin, and bromoxynil but increasing susceptibility to bentazon in propanil-R ricefield bulrush, a novel Val219–Ile feature. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of propanil resistance in weeds because of a mechanism other than enhanced herbicide metabolism. Tank-mixing bentazon and propanil, where permitted, can control both propanil-R and propanil-S biotypes.

Research was initiated to determine the periodicity of emergence, seasonal plant growth and reproductive potential, and response to selected preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicides for burcucumber. Under Indiana conditions, burcucumber germinated from late April to October and was stimulated by periodic rainfall. Relative growth rates of plants were greatest up to 10 wk after establishment and declined when flowering was initiated. Without competition, early spring (May)–established burcucumber plants attained a fresh weight of up to 86 kg and produced almost 80,000 seeds. With later establishment, less biomass and and a smaller number of seeds were produced. Seedlings emerging up to mid-August produced germinable seed prior to frost, thus indicating that season-long control strategies are needed to minimize reproduction. A PRE application of atrazine, metribuzin plus chlorimuron, or linuron plus chlorimuron provided greater than 90% visual control up to 8 wk after treatment (WAT). Greater than 80% visual control was obtained with POST applications of glyphosate or with combinations of glyphosate plus dicamba or glyphosate plus 2,4-D; chlorimuron, metribuzin plus chlorimuron; or paraquat. Both imazaquin and bentazon provided less than 70% control. Results indicate that burcucumber displays rapid development with periodic germination throughout the growing season and is capable of producing large amounts of plant biomass and seed.

The ubiquitous use of pesticides has increased concerns over their direct and indirect effects on disease dynamics. While studies examining the effects of pesticides on host–parasite interactions have largely focused on how pesticides influence the host, few studies have considered the effects of pesticides on parasites. We investigated the toxicity of six common insecticides at six environmentally-relevant concentrations to cercariae of the trematode Echinoparyphium from two populations. All six insecticides reduced the survival of cercariae (overall difference between mortality in control vs pesticide exposure = 86·2 ± 8·7%) but not in a predictable dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that Echinoparyphium are sensitive to a broad range of insecticides commonly used in the USA. The lack of a clear dose-dependent response in Echinoparyphium highlights the potential limitations of toxicity assays in predicting pesticide toxicity to parasites. Finally, population-level variation in cercarial susceptibility to pesticides underscores the importance of accounting for population variation as overlooking this variation can limit our ability to predict toxicity in nature. Collectively, this work demonstrates that consideration of pesticide toxicity to parasites is important to understanding how pesticides ultimately shape disease dynamics in nature.

Host-parasite interactions are shaped by the co-evolutionary arms race of parasite virulence, transmission success as well as host resistance and recovery. The virulence and fitness of parasites may depend on host condition, which is mediated, for instance, by host energy constraints. Here, we investigated to what extent stress imposed by predation threat and environmental pollutants influences host-parasite interactions. We challenged the crustacean host Daphnia magna with the sterilizing bacterial endoparasite Pasteuria ramosa and simultaneously exposed the host to fish kairomones, the pesticide carbaryl or both stressors. While parasite virulence, measured as impact on host mortality and sterilization, increased markedly after short-term pesticide exposure, it was not influenced by predation threat. Parasite fitness, measured in terms of produced transmission stages, decreased both in fish and pesticide treatments. This effect was much stronger under predation threat than carbaryl exposure, and was attributable to reduced somatic growth of the host, presumably resulting in fewer resources for parasite development. While the indirect impact of both stressors on spore loads provides evidence for host condition-dependent parasite fitness, the finding of increased virulence only under carbaryl exposure indicates a stronger physiological impact of the neurotoxic chemical compared with the effect of a non-toxic fish kairomone.