The combination of certain herbicides with insecticides can inhibit crop growth. Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate interaction effects of herbicides and insecticides with/without protectant, on corn and weed species. ‘Northrup King 9283’ hybrid corn showed greater sensitivity to acetanilide herbicides than ‘Cargill 7567.’ Neither the insecticides terbufos nor isazofos appeared to enhance this sensitivity. Both hybrids were sensitive to the combination of chlorimuron, nicosulfuron, or primisulfuron with terbufos. Cargill 7567 was more tolerant than Northrup King 9283 to the growth inhibiting interaction of sulfonylurea herbicides with terbufos. Imazaquin at 70 g/ha reduced height of Northrup King 9283 corn, but there was no interaction with terbufos. The protectants CGA-154281 and NA reduced corn injury from metolachlor and the combination of nicosulfuron and primisulfuron with terbufos, respectively. Nicosulfuron and primisulfuron treatments combined with metolachlor showed less corn injury than metolachlor alone, but these herbicides increased corn injury when combined with terbufos. The inclusion of terbufos did not enhance primisulfuron activity on barnyardgrass, giant foxtail, or velvetleaf.

AAL-toxin, produced by Alternaria alternata, was investigated for its phytotoxic effects on 86 crop and weed species. On susceptible tomato leaf discs, AAL-toxin caused electrolyte leakage and chlorosis at 0.01 μM in 24 h. Plants tested exhibited a range of response. AAL-toxin damaged sensitive plants at 5 μM while other plants showed minimal damage at > 1000 μM. Cotton and the important weeds, Canada thistle, field bindweed, and velvetleaf were largely unaffected. Monocots tested were largely immune.

Thirteen field experiments were conducted to evaluate quinclorac for cheat control in hard red winter wheat. Cheat control with quinclorac was variable. Quinclorac at 560 and 1120 g a.i./ha applied to tillered wheat controlled cheat 93 to 100% at four sites. In contrast, pooled over four other experiments and four application times, quinclorac at 420 g/ha and 560 g/ha controlled cheat only 20 and 31%, respectively. Quinclorac at 420 g/ha plus chlorsulfuron:metsulfuron (5:1) at 35 g a.i./ha applied PRE increased wheat yield 28% at one of three sites. At two of these sites, averaged over chlorsulfuron:metsulfuron rates of 0, 18, and 35 g a.i./ha, quinclorac at 280 and 420 g/ha applied POST, increased wheat yield 32 to 112%. In two cultivar tolerance experiments, quinclorac treatments did not damage any cultivar. Pooled over cultivars, yields were increased 7 and 10% when quinclorac at 280 and 560 kg/ha was applied, respectively. In a greenhouse experiment, quinclorac plus dicamba or esfenvalerate consistently reduced the leaf area of cheat in a manner suggesting synergistic effects. Of eight adjuvants evaluated in a laboratory experiment, only quinclorac plus the adjuvant BCH 864 01S reduced cheat leaf area more than quinclorac alone.

Acifluorfen, lactofen, chlorimuron, thifensulfuron, imazethapyr, and imazaquin were evaluated for control of Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed at three application timings in field and greenhouse experiments. Results from field studies indicated that most herbicides provided greater than 90% control of common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed regardless of time of application. Palmer amaranth was the most difficult species to control, and only thifensulfuron and imazethapyr provided greater than 80% control at all application timings. In the greenhouse experiment, herbicides were applied when pigweeds averaged 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm in height. Results were similar to the field experiment, except that common waterhemp was more difficult to control.

Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the response of purple and yellow nutsedge to selective soil placement of 5 cm of soil treated with MON-12037 above and/or below the nutsedge tubers. MON-12037 at 53 g/ai ha applied as a foliar, soil, or foliar + soil application also were evaluated. MON-12037 placement above, below, or above + below the nutsedge tuber decreased shoot number, shoot dry weight, shoot regrowth dry weight, and root-tuber dry weight production in both species, 30 and 60 d after treatment. MON-12037 applied as a foliar, soil, and foliar + soil treatment was effective in reducing purple nutsedge shoot regrowth dry weight to less than 5% of the non-treated control. Yellow nutsedge shoot regrowth dry weight from the foliar + soil and soil-only applications was less than 1% of the non-treated control.

Experiments were conducted on Sharkey clay and Gigger silt loam soils in northeast Louisiana from 1990 through 1993 to compare season-long barnyardgrass control, rice yield, and estimated economic returns with single and multiple applications of propanil alone or with molinate or thiobencarb. Multiple herbicide applications were more effective than single applications in controlling barnyardgrass and provided the greatest rice yields and economic returns. Applying residual herbicides with propanil improved barnyardgrass control in five of six experiments and increased rice yield and economic returns in three of six experiments.

Field experiments were established in 1991 and 1992 on silty clay and sandy loam soils to evaluate combinations of non-selective and selective herbicides for stale seedbed soybean weed control. Metribuzin PRE controlled sicklepod and pitted morningglory more consistently than other treatments. At 9 wk after planting, antagonism occurred in most cases on sicklepod control when metribuzin was tank-mixed with a non-selective herbicide. Other selective herbicides required addition of a non-selective herbicide at planting to effectively control sicklepod and pitted morningglory. Sicklepod and pitted morningglory control was better with POST selective herbicides when following glufosinate or paraquat than when following glyphosate or SC-0224. In most instances a follow-up POST treatment was needed to maintain weed control from non-selective herbicides applied PRE. Metribuzin and metribuzin plus chlorimuron increased soybean yields when tank-mixed with paraquat compared with yields obtained with paraquat alone.

Broadleaf weed control ranged from 80% with clomazone at 0.14 kg/ha to 100% with clomazone at 1.12 kg/ha. Broadleaf weed control was higher with clomazone than naptalam or ethalfluralin. The combination of clomazone at 0.14 kg/ha and naptalam at 5 kg/ha or ethalfluralin at 1.25 kg/ha gave more than 90% broadleaf weed control. Clomazone caused chlorosis and bleaching on cucumber leaves but plants rapidly recovered. Cucumber yields were higher in plots treated with clomazone alone at 0.14 to 0.56 kg/ha than with ethalfluralin or naptalam alone. Clomazone dose response studies were conducted in weed-free plots with five cucumber varieties. The 0.28 kg/ha rate caused low levels of visible injury and did not decrease yields. Cultivar differences were more pronounced at higher clomazone rates. The five cucumber cultivars were, in order of increasing clomazone tolerance, ‘Sunre 3537,’ ‘Pioneer,’ ‘Quest,’ ‘Prince,’ and ‘Calypso.’ We concluded that clomazone is an effective and selective herbicide for broadleaf weed control in pickling cucumber.

California and Michigan strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. poannua were compared as biocontrol agents for the annual and perennial subspecies of annual bluegrass. Additionally, inoculation frequency was evaluated for improved control of the perennial subspecies in New York. The two bacterial strains were similarly virulent to annual bluegrass in both growth chamber and field tests. When inoculated once per week for 4 wk, the annual and perennial subspecies were controlled 92 and 82% in growth chamber tests, but only 11 and 7% in field tests, respectively. Control of established annual bluegrass in the field was improved to a maximum of about 40% by increasing inoculation frequency to three times per wk for 4 wk, but recovery occurred 2 to 5 wk after inoculations were discontinued. Creeping bentgrass was not affected by the bacterium.

Soybean cultivars were grown in a hydroponic culture to evaluate tolerance to dimethenamid and metolachlor. Root length was reduced in 7 of the 32 cultivars with 50 ppb dimethenamid. ‘Asgrow 5403’ and ‘Bryan’ root lengths were reduced more than 20%. ‘Asgrow 6297’ was the only cultivar with greater than 12% root length reductions with 83 ppb metolachlor. The longest lateral root of all cultivars was shortened with dimethenamid. ‘NK-1460’ and Bryan expressed the most lateral root length reduction, at 73 and 62%, respectively. Asgrow 6297 was tolerant to dimethenamid, but lateral roots were reduced 16%. Metolachlor reduced the lateral root lengths of 12 cultivars, with Asgrow 5403, ‘Coker 6955,’ and Bryan reduced more than 20%. Bryan was the most sensitive cultivar to both herbicides, while ‘Brim’ was the most tolerant of cultivars evaluated.

Plant growth regulators paclobutrazol and flurprimidol were evaluated for suppression of Poa annua spp. reptans, a perennial biotype of annual bluegrass, in a creeping bentgrass green. Paclobutrazol at 0.6 kg ai/ha applied on Mar. 15, followed by 0.3 kg/ha on Apr. 29, 0.6 kg/ha on Oct. 1, and 0.3 kg/ha on Nov. 12 for each of 2 yr suppressed P. annua spp. reptans 28% approximately 4 mo after the final treatment. When paclobutrazol was applied at 0.3 kg/ha in each of four applications during the same period, suppression was similar to that with the higher rate 1 and 2 mo after final treatment but declined to 7% by 4 mo. Suppression of P. annua spp. reptans from flurprimidol applied four times during each of 2 yr was 22 to 27% 1 mo after final treatment but no suppression was noted 2 mo after the final treatment. Maximum creeping bentgrass injury was less than 20% when either paclobutrazol or flurprimidol was applied in the spring. However, creeping bentgrass injury was approximately 30% in the fall when either chemical was applied in the spring and repeated in October at 0.6 kg/ha.

Experiments were conducted near Scottsbluff, NE in 1991 and 1992 to evaluate the selectivity of imazethapyr for weed control in blue grama, intermediate wheatgrass, little bluestem, Russian wildrye, switchgrass, and western wheatgrass. Imazethapyr reduced weed biomass in all seedings and injured all perennial grasses 12 days after treatment (DAT). Imazethapyr reduced the height of intermediate wheatgrass, Russian wildrye, and switchgrass 35 DAT. Russian wildrye, and switchgrass biomass 50 DAT was reduced by imazethapyr. Weed biomass in new seedings of intermediate wheatgrass and western wheatgrass were reduced more than that of the other grasses.

Seeds of suspected herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp were collected in Clay County and Douglas County, KS, respectively. An experiment was established in a greenhouse to determine if these species had developed resistance to imazethapyr and thifensulfuron. Imazethapyr was applied pre- (PRE) and postemergence (POST) at 1×, 2×, 4×, and 8× the suggested use rate (70 g/ha), and thifensulfuron was applied POST at 1×, 2×, 4×, and 8× the suggested use rate (4.5 g/ha). Both species had developed resistance to all rates of these herbicides. The occurrence of resistance at the Clay County site (Palmer amaranth) fit the typical pattern for the development of herbicide resistance, i.e., multiple applications of the same class of herbicide for several years. However, the Douglas County (common waterhemp) site had a limited history of use of ALS-inhibiting herbicides and did not follow typical models of resistance development.

Yellow mignonette (Reseda lutea (L.) # RESLU) is a broadleaf perennial weed that is native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia Minor. It has been spread around the world and is widely recognized in Australia as a troublesome noxious weed in croplands. It is a problem in cropland and pastures because of its high seed output, extensive reproductive root system, ability to thrive under disturbed conditions, and high nitrate levels. While nitrate levels of 2.5 to 3.1% have been detected in plants during the rosette to early flower growth stages, when yellow mignonette is most palatable, no livestock injury or deaths have been reported. Yellow mignonette was first reported in Montana in 1958 but was not recognized as a weed problem until 1990. Since 1988 it has invaded several hundred hectares of small grains and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-grass pastures in Central Montana and is spreading rapidly along gravel road shoulders.

Literature concerning interactions between herbicides and insects is reviewed. Herbicides can be toxic to insects or can affect them indirectly, such as by destroying food supplies, but they usually can be used with proper application timing without affecting insects adversely. Herbicides and biocontrol insects can interact either favorably or unfavorably depending on the life cycle stage of weed and insect, effect on predatory insects, changes in food quality, mobility of the biocontrol insect, and impact of herbicides on weed growth. Thus, interactions between a biocontrol insect and herbicide can be antagonistic, additive, complementary, or synergistic. Split-plot techniques to evaluate these interactions at an early stage of insect establishment are proposed to improve weed biocontrol.

Carolus Linnaeus described common groundsel, Senecio vulgaris, in his Species Plantarum, published in 1753 (2). The generic name is derived from the Latin senex meaning old or old man, the pappus resembling a white beard (4). Vulgaris is from the Latin vulgari meaning common, usual, or ordinary (7, 18).