Proper management of glufosinate in glufosinate-resistant crop technologies is needed to mitigate the likelihood of resistance evolution. Antagonism may result from mixtures of glufosinate and other commonly used POST herbicides in soybean and cotton. Two experiments were conducted at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, AR, in 2015 and 2016 to evaluate mixtures of glufosinate + clethodim and glufosinate + glyphosate on barnyardgrass, broadleaf signalgrass, johnsongrass, and large crabgrass. Furthermore, droplet spectra analyses were conducted to determine if droplet size was associated with identification of herbicide interactions. Antagonism was dependent on the herbicide rates and the weed species. For barnyardgrass and large crabgrass control 4 wk after treatment, glufosinate + glyphosate was antagonistic at all rates evaluated. When large crabgrass was evaluated, some mixtures (e.g., 595 g ha–1 glufosinate + 76 g ha–1 clethodim) had a significant reduction in control relative to one of the herbicides applied alone. Glufosinate (451 and 595 g ai ha–1) + glyphosate (867 and 1,735 g ae ha–1) was antagonistic at all four possible rate combinations for broadleaf signalgrass control. Fewer instances of antagonism were observed for seedling johnsongrass control than for other species, but certain treatments were identified as antagonistic (e.g., glufosinate at 451 g ai ha–1 + clethodim at 76 g ai ha–1). Overall, antagonism was less likely and greater control was observed when the highest rates of both herbicides in a given mixture were used. The addition of glyphosate or clethodim to glufosinate can increase the volume median diameter and decrease the percentage volume of fines, compared to glufosinate alone. The droplet spectra analyses indicate that the glufosinate performance may be negatively affected by the addition of glyphosate or clethodim.

Weed size can nfluence herbicide performance and herbicide interactions in mixtures. To control a broad range of species in soybean or cotton, POST herbicide mixtures will likely be commonplace in Roundup Ready® XtendFlex® and Enlist™ technologies. The impact of weed size on herbicide interactions that could occur in Roundup Ready XtendFlex or Enlist crops was assessed in two field experiments conducted in 2015 and 2016 at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser, AR. Combinations of glufosinate, glyphosate, dicamba, and 2,4-D were applied to either 10-cm or 30-cm weeds and evaluated for percent weed control, height reduction, and density reduction, collected 5 wk after treatment. Colby’s method was used to analyze treatments for herbicide interactions for control of barnyardgrass, Palmer amaranth, and pitted morningglory. Antagonism was identified with at least one treatment on all species. Almost all treatments were antagonistic for percent weed control, height reduction, and density reduction on barnyardgrass. When glyphosate in mixture with 2,4-D or dicamba was applied to 30-cm barnyardgrass, control declined 9% for both mixtures relative to glyphosate alone. Glufosinate plus glyphosate was antagonistic when applied to both 30-cm pitted morningglory and barnyardgrass. Glufosinate plus dicamba provided less control and density reduction of Palmer amaranth than what was expected from Colby’s equation. Overall, antagonism was more likely to be identified when applications were made to 30-cm weeds compared with 10-cm weeds. The utility of a given herbicide mixture will depend on the species present in the field and the size of those species at the time of application.

As auxin-type herbicide-resistant crops become commercially available, nozzle selection will become a highly important variable for maintaining efficacy of herbicide solutions while minimizing off-target movement. Field experiments were conducted in 2013 and 2014 in Keiser, AR, to evaluate interactions among the N,N-bis-(aminopropyl)methylamine form of dicamba formulated as Engenia™, the potassium salt of glyphosate formulated as Roundup PowerMax®, and glufosinate formulated as Liberty® applied with three different nozzle types. Three TeeJet nozzles with an 11004 orifice (Turbo TeeJet [TT], Air Induction Extended Range [AIXR], and Turbo TeeJet Induction [TTI]) were used. To supplement the field data, droplet spectra for each nozzle and tank mixture combination were determined at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, NE. For most herbicide treatments and nozzle combinations, Palmer amaranth control 4 wk after treatment was > 95% both years. In 2013, TT nozzles provided 96% control of barnyardgrass and TTI nozzles provided 89% control, averaged across herbicides, except for Engenia alone. A similar effect of nozzle selection was observed in 2014. When treatments were applied to 20-cm-tall barnyardgrass in 2014, compared with 8-cm-tall plants in 2013, an antagonistic effect was observed when Engenia was tank-mixed with Roundup PowerMax. The weed control data correlated with the droplet spectrum analysis such that as volume median diameter (Dv50) increased from TT nozzles to the TTI nozzles, efficacy decreased for most tank mixtures. Results from the droplet analysis showed that Dv50 relative to water decreased for Liberty alone and not when tank-mixed with Engenia or Roundup PowerMax. These results suggest that nozzle selection will play a key role in maximizing efficacy of POST applications in dicamba-resistant crops. Additionally, evaluating droplet spectra of potential dicamba-containing tank mixtures is critical for producing desired droplet size to minimize off-target movement.