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Evaluation of terbacil-based herbicide treatments for hair fescue (Festuca filiformis) management in lowbush blueberry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2020

Scott N. White Open the ORCID record for Scott N. White [Opens in a new window]  and
Linshan Zhang
Scott N. White*
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Linshan Zhang
Affiliation:
Graduate student, Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: Scott White, 50 Pictou Road, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada B2N 2R8. Email: scott.white@dal.ca
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Abstract

Hair fescue is a common tuft-forming perennial grass weed that reduces yields and hinders mechanical harvest in lowbush blueberry fields. PRE terbacil applications traditionally controlled hair fescue but currently only provide suppression in most fields. Terbacil use has not, however, been evaluated in conjunction with other currently registered herbicides in lowbush blueberry. The objective of this research was to evaluate a range of terbacil-based herbicide treatments for hair fescue management in lowbush blueberry. The experiment was conducted at three lowbush blueberry fields in Nova Scotia, Canada. Spring nonbearing-year terbacil applications (2,000 g ai ha–1) exhibited variable efficacy on hair fescue with reduced total tuft density at one site and reduced flowering-tuft density and flowering-tuft inflorescence number at two sites. Suppression was limited to the year of application only. Terbacil followed by (fb) foramsulfuron (35 g ai ha–1) did not improve suppression. A terbacil tank mixture with glufosinate (750 ai ha–1), however, reduced flowering-tuft density and flowering-tuft inflorescence number at each site and reduced total tuft density at one site, suggesting improved suppression with terbacil + glufosinate relative to terbacil alone. Terbacil + glufosinate fb foramsulfuron gave additional reductions in total tuft density at two sites and reduced bearing-year flowering-tuft density at two sites, indicating that hair fescue suppression with this herbicide combination extends into the bearing year. Although less effective than the industry standard pronamide applications, terbacil + glufosinate or terbacil + glufosinate fb foramsulfuron could be used as part of a weed management program for hair fescue in lowbush blueberry.

Keywords

fall bearing-year herbicidespring nonbearing-year herbicidefall nonbearing-year herbicideperennial grasstuftGlufosinateforamsulfuronpronamideterbacilhair fescueFestuca filiformis Pourr.FESTElowbush blueberryVaccinium angustifolium Ait.
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2021 , pp. 485 - 491
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Weed Science Society of America

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Peter J. Dittmar, University of Florida

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