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Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima Nutt.) Control in Pastures with Fall-Applied Herbicides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Michael W. Marshall
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky, 105 Plant Science Building, 1405 Veterans Road, Lexington, KY 40546
Jonathan D. Green*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky, 105 Plant Science Building, 1405 Veterans Road, Lexington, KY 40546
David C. Ditsch
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky, 105 Plant Science Building, 1405 Veterans Road, Lexington, KY 40546
J. Wade Turner
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Kentucky, 105 Plant Science Building, 1405 Veterans Road, Lexington, KY 40546
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: jdgreen@uky.edu

Abstract

Tall ironweed is a troublesome perennial weed that infests cool-season grass pastures in Kentucky. Field experiments were conducted in 2000 through 2003 to evaluate the efficacy of fall-applied herbicides on established tall ironweed following a midsummer mowing. Triclopyr-containing treatments showed the greatest suppression of tall ironweed 12 mo after treatment (MAT), across all years. With triclopyr at 0.56 and 0.63 kg/ha, tall ironweed control was 80% or greater in 2 of the 3 yr. Dicamba initially provided 87% control 8 MAT in 2 of 3 yr and declined to less than 60% 12 MAT. Tall ironweed shoot density was also reduced 66% or more 12 MAT with fall-applied triclopyr-containing treatments. In contrast, tall ironweed density increased approximately twofold in dicamba-treated plots between 8 to 12 MAT in all 3 yr. The impact of herbicide treatment on dry matter (DM) yield of spring-seeded red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), tall ironweed, and forage grasses was also evaluated. Red clover DM yield in the herbicide-treated plots in 2002 showed no significant differences from the untreated control. However, red clover DM yield in 2003 was lowest for the two triclopyr + clopyralid treatments, indicating a decrease in DM production compared with that of the nontreated control. Results indicated that fall-applied triclopyr-containing herbicides following a midsummer mowing is an effective program for removing tall ironweed from grass pastures, but further research is needed to evaluate the establishment of red clover following herbicide treatment.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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