In weed science literature, models such as concentration addition, independent action, effect summation, and the parallel line assay technique have been used to predict and analyze whole-plant response to herbicide mixtures. Although a joint action reference model is necessary for determining whether the herbicide mixture provides less than (antagonistic), equal to (zero-interaction or additive), or greater than (synergistic) expected control, model selection often occurs with little regard to the model's underlying biological assumptions. The joint action models of concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) are the appropriate models to consider for analysis of herbicide mixtures of two active components. CA assumes additivity of dose, with herbicides differing only in potency, whereas IA assumes multiplicativity of effects, in which herbicides behave independently and sequentially within the plant. CA and IA predicted mixture responses were computed for a sample mixture data set of mesotrione plus atrazine. IA predicted lower mixture responses than CA; for example, mesotrione at 17.5 g ha−1 + atrazine at 140 g ha−1 was predicted to provide 45% (IA) compared with 53% (CA) control of Palmer amaranth. Joint action claims of synergism and antagonism were shown to be dependent on the reference model selected. Although mesotrione plus atrazine combinations were synergistic under IA assumptions, analysis under CA assumptions indicated mesotrione plus atrazine to be synergistic, additive, and antagonistic according to the selected effective concentration (ECx) level and fixed-ratio mixture. Because it is not possible to determine the appropriate joint action model on the basis of fit of predicted to observed mixture data, the appropriateness of underlying biological assumptions was considered for the sample mixture data set. Additionally, we provide decision criteria to aid researchers in their selection of an appropriate joint action reference model.

A study was conducted in summer fallow fields near Davenport, WA, and Pendleton, OR, in 2007 and 2008 to evaluate the POST weed control efficacy of herbicide treatments applied with a light-activated, sensor-controlled (LASC) sprayer compared to the broadcast application of glyphosate. The LASC application of glyphosate alone (at all rates) and in mixture with pyrasulfotole plus bromoxynil or 2,4-D had weed control (≥ 88%) and dry weight (≤ 6% of control) similar to the broadcast application of glyphosate across locations and years. Tumble pigweed and prickly lettuce control with bromoxynil, 2,4-D, or carfentrazone plus dicamba, was 12 to 85% less than glyphosate applied alone with LASC or broadcast sprayer. Overall, none of the tested alternate herbicides was promising enough to replace glyphosate under present conditions.

Cryogens are defined as substances that produce low temperatures. In this study, cryogens refer to salts added to snow or ice to cool underlying soil, resulting in reduced weed establishment. In laboratory experiments, bags of ice mixed with cryogens were able to reach temperatures as low as −17 C. In soil-filled pots stored at 4 C, bags of cryogenic salts filled with ice chips reduced the soil temperatures to below 0 C and reduced the establishment of weeds significantly without salinity effects. The cryogen magnesium chloride-6-hydrate (MC) that was effective in pot experiments was tested in an oat field in 2008 and 2009. Plastic bags containing concentrated solutions of MC, perforated at the top, were placed on bare soil just before snowfall. Contact of snow with MC was expected to decrease the surface soil temperature enough to cause freezing injury to seeds in the soil. Although overall effects on weed establishment were small, the cryogenic effect did significantly reduce corn spurry establishment in 2008, and significantly reduced overall weed establishment in both years. These results show that weed management with cryogenic salts is possible in principle, but requires further technical improvements to be practical in the field.

Vinegar can supplement the existing intrarow weed control options of organic farmers. However, there are two primary limitations to its use in vegetable crops. First, it is costly. Second, vinegar applications that contact the crop can cause injury and yield loss. The aim of this research was to use vinegar to control intrarow weeds in bell pepper and broccoli in a way that product costs would be reduced and crop injury would be minimized. Banded applications were shielded and directed below the crop canopy to reduce weed control costs and minimize contact with crop foliage. Organic paints applied to crop stems were evaluated as potential physical barriers to crop stem injury. Four field trials were conducted in 2009, two in transplanted bell pepper and two in transplanted broccoli. A single application of 200-grain vinegar (20% acetic acid) at 700 L ha−1 was applied when weeds were in the cotyledon to six-leaf stage. Applications were made to crops with the lower stems coated in one of two stem protectants, or left uncoated. Hand-weeded and weedy treatments were included for comparison. One day after vinegar application, in-row weed control was 100% in both pepper trials and greater than 96% in the broccoli trials. Two weeks after application, 75% fewer weeds germinated in the vinegar-treated areas compared with the areas that were hand weeded. Neither stem protectant prevented crop injury. Despite pepper foliar injury of less than 5%, stem injury 2 wk after application contributed to a measurable yield reduction. Broccoli injury was limited to instances where overspray contacted the crop canopy. With vinegar, high levels of weed control and the extended duration of that control relative to hand weeding could facilitate improved organic intrarow weed control. However, crop injury must be reliably reduced. Alternative stem protectants may merit evaluation.

Methyl bromide has been widely used as a broad-spectrum fumigant for weed control in polyethylene-mulched bell pepper. However, because of environmental hazards, the phase-out of methyl bromide requires development of alternative weed management strategies. Brassicaceae plants produce glucosinolates which are hydrolyzed to toxic isothiocyanates following tissue decomposition, and therefore can be used as a cultural strategy. Field experiments were conducted in 2007 and 2009 to study the influence of soil amendment (‘Seventop’ turnip cover crop vs. fallow) and the effect of initially planted yellow nutsedge tuber density (0, 50, and 100 tubers m−2) on the interference of yellow nutsedge in raised-bed polyethylene-mulched bell pepper. Total glucosinolate production by the turnip cover crop was 12,635 and 22,845 µmol m−2 in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and was mainly contributed by shoots. In general, soil amendment with the turnip cover crop was neither effective in reducing yellow nutsedge growth and tuber production nor in improving bell pepper growth and yield compared to fallow plots at any initial tuber density. Averaged over cover crops, increasing initial tuber density from 50 to 100 tubers m−2 increased yellow nutsedge shoot density, shoot dry weight, and tuber production ≥ 1.4 times. However, increased tuber density had minimal impact on yellow nutsedge height and canopy width. Compared to weed-free plots, interference of yellow nutsedge reduced bell pepper dry weight and marketable yield ≥ 42 and ≥ 47%, respectively. However, bell pepper dry weight and yield reduction from 50 and 100 tubers m−2 were not different. Light was the major resource for which yellow nutsedge competed with bell pepper. Yellow nutsedge shoots grown from initially planted 50 and 100 tubers m−2 caused up to 48 and 67% light interception in bell pepper, respectively. It is concluded that yellow nutsedge interference from initial densities of 50 and 100 tubers m−2 are equally effective in reducing bell pepper yield and that soil biofumigation with turnip is not a viable management option for yellow nutsedge at these densities.

Summer leguminous cover crops can improve soil health and reduce the economic and environmental costs associated with N fertilizers. However, adoption is often constrained by poor weed suppression compared to nonlegume cover crops. In field experiments conducted in organic vegetable cropping systems in north-central New York, two primary hypotheses were tested: (1) mixtures of legume cover crops (cowpea and soybean) with grasses (sorghum–sudangrass and Japanese millet) reduce weed seed production and increase cover crop productivity relative to legume monocultures and (2) higher soil fertility shifts the competitive outcome in favor of weeds and nonlegume cover crops. Cover crops were grown either alone or in grass–legume combinations with or without composted chicken manure. Under hot, dry conditions in 2005, cowpea and soybean cover crops were severely suppressed by weeds in monoculture and by sorghum–sudangrass in mixtures, resulting in low legume biomass, poor nodulation, and high levels of Powell amaranth seed production (> 25,000 seeds m−2). Under more typical temperature and rainfall conditions in 2006, cowpea mixtures with Japanese millet stimulated cowpea biomass production and nodulation compared to monoculture, but soybeans were suppressed in mixtures with both grasses. Composted chicken manure shifted competition in favor of weeds at the expense of cowpea (2005), stimulated weed and grass biomass production (2006), and suppressed nodulation of soybean (2006). In a complementary on-farm trial, cowpea mixtures with sorghum–sudangrass suppressed weed biomass by 99%; however, both common purslane and hairy galinsoga produced sufficient seeds (600 seeds m−2) to replenish the existing weed seedbank. Results suggest that (1) mixtures of cowpeas with grasses can improve nodulation, lower seed costs, and reduce the risk of weed seed production; (2) soybean is not compatible with grasses in mixture; and (3) future costs of weed seed production must be considered when determining optimal cover crop choices.

Glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus species are a recognized risk to U.S. agriculture. With affected cropland exceeding 1.2 million ha, this epidemic is particularly pertinent to agricultural regions that utilize an intensive glyphosate-based management program to control weedy pests. Before 2006, Texas had no identified glyphosate-resistant populations. Two independent common waterhemp populations exhibiting poor control by glyphosate were identified in Wharton County and Fort Bend County, TX in 2006 and 2008, respectively. The objective of the present research was to characterize the level of glyphosate resistance (50% lethal dose [LD50] and 50% reduction in growth rate [GR50]) in each population. Resistance levels in four putatively glyphosate-resistant common waterhemp biotypes selected from these two populations were compared with confirmed glyphosate-resistant and -susceptible common waterhemp populations under greenhouse conditions. The LD50 value for the susceptible population (736 g ae ha−1) was equivalent to the 0.9× labeled rate of glyphosate, whereas the putatively resistant lines exhibited a broad range of resistance with LD50 values ranging from 3.5 to 59.7× the labeled rate of glyphosate. The GR50 value for the most resistant line was 2.5-fold greater than the susceptible biotype (317 g ae ha−1 of glyphosate). These results confirm the first documented case of a glyphosate-resistant weed species in Texas.

Crop diversity may improve tolerance to weed interference and reduce the need for herbicides. This experiment measured weed interference in corn as affected by the preceding crop in two studies. The first study, based on interference of the resident weed community, compared dry pea, soybean, canola, and spring wheat for effect on corn tolerance to weeds. Prominent weeds were green and yellow foxtail. The second study examined corn tolerance to a uniform infestation of foxtail millet as affected by dry pea, soybean, spring wheat, and corn as preceding crops. Each plot was split into weed-free and weed-infested subplots in both studies. Corn was most tolerant to weed interference following dry pea; compared with soybean, dry pea improved corn tolerance more than twofold. Corn also yielded the highest in weed-free conditions following dry pea; compared across 4 yr, corn yielded 7 to 23% more following dry pea than following either soybean or spring wheat. Crop diversity has helped producers reduce herbicide inputs in the Great Plains and may provide an additional benefit of reducing weed impact on crop yield.

This article examines the changes in herbicide use in relation to canola production in Western Canada, comparing 1995 and 2006. The commercialization and widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant (HR) canola has changed weed management practices in Western Canada. Before the introduction of HR canola, weeds were controlled by herbicides and tillage as the leading herbicides at that time required tillage to allow for soil incorporation of the herbicide. Much of the tillage associated with HR canola production has been eliminated as 64% of producers are now using zero or minimum tillage as their preferred form of crop and soil management. Additionally, there have been significant changes regarding the use and application of herbicides for weed control in canola. This research shows that when comparing canola production in 1995 and 2006, the environmental impact of herbicides applied to canola decreased 53%, producer exposure to chemicals decreased 56%, and quantity of active ingredient applied decreased 1.3 million kg. The cumulative environmental impact was reduced almost 50% with the use of HR herbicides. If HR canola had not been developed and Canadian canola farmers continued to use previous production technologies, the amount of active ingredient applied to control weeds in 2007 would have been 60% above what was actually applied.

Differences in clomazone tolerance among sweetpotato cultivars were first observed in April 2007 after use of the herbicide for weed control in fields containing the sweetpotato breeding project at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory. Susceptible cultivars and experimental clones exhibited severe foliar chlorosis and reduced growth, whereas the most tolerant were not injured. Twelve cultivars and experimental clones were included in a greenhouse experiment to quantify the differences in clomazone tolerance. In the greenhouse, the clomazone concentration that caused moderate injury or reduction in shoot growth to the most tolerant clones was approximately 10 times the concentration that caused a similar response in the most susceptible clones. Two older cultivars, Excel and Sumor, that were developed before the registration of clomazone for use in sweetpotato were susceptible. Clomazone is an important component in sweetpotato weed management, and susceptibility is an undesirable trait that should be avoided in new sweetpotato cultivars.

Fenoxaprop effectively controls crabgrass in tall fescue turf, but antagonism with growth-regulating herbicides reduces potential to apply fenoxaprop in combination with many herbicides registered for broadleaf weed control. Aminocyclopyrachlor is a new broadleaf weed control herbicide that has not been evaluated in combination with fenoxaprop. Field experiments were conducted in Georgia, New Jersey, and Tennessee to investigate tank mixtures of fenoxaprop with aminocyclopyrachlor for smooth crabgrass and white clover control. Fenoxaprop alone exhibited substantial activity on smooth crabgrass but control was greater with fenoxaprop + aminocyclopyrachlor treatments. By 4 and 6 wk after treatment (WAT), approximately 22 and 44% less fenoxaprop was required to achieve 80% smooth crabgrass control when the herbicide was tank-mixed with aminocyclopyrachlor at 52.5 and 79 g ai ha−1, respectively. Fenoxaprop did not reduce white clover control with aminocyclopyrachlor because 97% control was achieved by 4 WAT for all aminocyclopyrachlor + fenoxaprop treatments. Tall fescue was not injured by any treatment. Results suggest aminocyclopyrachlor enhances fenoxaprop efficacy for smooth crabgrass control in tall fescue.

Cuphea is a new crop of temperate regions that produces seed oil that can substitute for imported coconut and palm kernel oils. Only four herbicides are known to be tolerated by cuphea to date. More herbicides, especially POST products, are needed for continued commercialization. In Minnesota and North Dakota, where cuphea currently is grown, greater control of Canada thistle and biennial wormwood is needed in cuphea. Because clopyralid is effective on both of these species, it was tested at rates ranging from about 25 to 850 g ae ha−1 in greenhouse and field trials. Visual assessment of injury, height, growth, and seed yield of cuphea were not reduced significantly in field-grown plants when clopyralid was applied at rates up to 400 g ae ha−1. Thus, at the rate commonly used in other crops, 200 g ae ha−1, clopyralid can be applied safely to cuphea.

Seeds of a putative 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide–resistant tall waterhemp biotype from Henry County, IA, were collected from a seed corn field in fall 2009 after plants were not controlled following a POST application of mesotrione plus atrazine. The response of this biotype to various herbicide modes of action was evaluated in greenhouse and field tests. Under greenhouse conditions, the suspect biotype showed an eightfold decrease in sensitivity to mesotrione with a 50% control rate of 21 g ha−1 compared with 2.7 g ha−1 for the susceptible biotype. The biotype also had a 10-fold decrease in sensitivity to atrazine and a 28-fold decrease in sensitivity to thifensulfuron. Under field conditions, tall waterhemp was not controlled POST at the label rate of 1,100 g ha−1 of atrazine. Tall waterhemp control was less than 60% at the label rates of three commonly used POST HPPD-inhibiting herbicides in seed corn: 105 g ha−1 of mesotrione, 92 g ha−1 of tembotrione, or 18 g ha−1 of topramezone. Thus, this new tall waterhemp biotype is resistant to three herbicide modes of action: HPPD inhibitors, photosystem-II inhibitors, and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors.