Third-year heights, third-year root-collar diameters, and 3 yr volume growth of loblolly pine seedlings were examined in relation to a) root-collar diameter class at time of planting and b) herbaceous weed control. Treatments were a) no weed control and b) complete control for 2 yr. For both weed control treatments, means for third-year heights, groundline diameters, and volume growth were related positively to initial seedling diameter. The influence of initial seedling diameter on third-year diameters and heights did not differ among weed control treatments. However, the influence of initial diameter on volume growth did differ among weed control treatments. Thus, when using herbaceous weed control, additional gains in early volume growth can be realized by planting seedlings with large root-collar diameters.

The plant pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum coccodes (Cc) and the plant growth regulator thidiazuron (TDZ) were evaluated in Maryland and Quebec for velvetleaf control in ‘Williams' and ‘Maple Arrow’ soybean. TDZ was applied at 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 kg ai/ha alone or was combined with Cc at 109 spores/m2 when velvetleaf was at the 1- to 2-leaf (Trial 1) or 4- to 6-leaf (Trial 2) growth stages. Velvetleaf control increased with TDZ rate, and TDZ combined with Cc further increased control. TDZ reduced velvetleaf biomass and height, and Cc increased velvetleaf mortality. In Quebec, Cc also reduced the biomass of velvetleaf treated in Trial 1 and interacted positively with TDZ at this growth stage. Cc nearly halved the rates of TDZ required for 90 and 75% mortality of velvetleaf treated at the 1- to 2-leaf and 4- to 6-leaf stages to 0.09 and 0.12 kg/ha, respectively, in Quebec. Cc similarly lowered the rate of TDZ required for 75% stand reduction of velvetleaf in Trial 1 to 0.17 kg/ha in Maryland. Cool wet weather in Quebec contrasted with warm, dry weather in Maryland. Soybean biomass and yield were increased significantly by treatment with TDZ plus Cc in Trial 1 at both locations.

A model and a proposed method for testing herbicide interactions were modified from an analysis of variance (ANOVA) model for a 2 by 2 factorial experiment. Statistical tests for either synergism, antagonism, or additivity of herbicide combinations were developed through transforming growth data to logarithms followed by significance tests of 2 by 2 contrasts of the form μii - μi0 - μ0i + μ00 with respect to the log-transformed data. Using actual experimental data, heterogeneity of variance was less severe on the log scale compared to the original measurement scale. An expedient SAS(R) program for obtaining the desired significance tests was developed.

‘Karla’, ‘Klages', ‘Morex’, and ‘Steptoe’ cultivars of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) differed in susceptibility to postemergence recommended application rates of diclofop {(±)-2-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) phenoxy] propanoic acid}, difenzoquat [1,2-dimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolium], chlorsulfuron {2-chloro-N-[[(4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino] carbonyl] benzenesulfonamide}, and metribuzin [4-amino-6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-(methylthio)-1,2,4-triazin-5(4H)-one] in 1981 and 1982. Metribuzin injured Morex, and difenzoquat injured all cultivars within 2 weeks after herbicide application. Metribuzin reduced height and crop biomass compared to the hand-weeded control. Herbicide treatments did not affect grain yield at Moscow, ID, in either year. However, metribuzin reduced yield of Karla and Morex, and diclofop reduced yield of Karla compared to the hand-weeded control at Pullman, WA, in 1982. Barley injury and grain yield loss depended on herbicide treatment and cultivar. Early season herbicide injury to barley did not indicate grain yield response at harvest.

Residents in Stillwater County, MT, used a weed bounty program as an educational tool to promote awareness, detection, and control of spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa Lam. # CENMA) on range and noncropland. Many people became involved with the weed control effort, weed awareness was increased, spotted knapweed was controlled, and the program was cost effective. The success of a weed bounty program is influenced by 1) the enthusiasm and innovations of the county extension agent, weed supervisor, or other key individual or group in the community; 2) the choice of the weeds selected; and 3) good media coverage of the bounty program. With proper planning and organization, weed bounty programs effectively promote awareness and action in other areas of public concern.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of application time on common waterplantain control in wild rice with MCPA and 2,4-D. Common waterplantain control was greatest when MCPA or 2,4-D were applied at 1.1 or 1.7 kg ai/ha at the two-aerial leaf stage. The best late-season control was MCPA applied at the scape elongation growth stage. Common waterplantain was controlled adequately when 0.6 to 0.8 kg/ha of MCPA were applied at the scape elongation or early flowering stage. However, because of common water plantain interference and sensitivity of wild rice to late herbicide applications, the best treatment stage for wild rice yield was when MCPA was applied at 0.6 kg/ha to common waterplantain at the two-aerial leaf stage. Wild rice at this time is at the more tolerant one-aerial leaf growth stage.

Thioproline (L-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid) partially protects sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. ‘DK 42Y’] seedlings against the herbicides tridiphane [2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)oxirane] and alachlor [2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(methoxymethyl)acetamide] in controlled environment chambers. Thioproline alone inhibits plant growth at concentrations above 10−5 M. Its phytotoxicity is intermediate between the two herbicide antidotes OTC (L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid) and flurazole [phenylmethyl 2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)-5-thiazolecarboxylate]. The two thiazolidine antidotes increased thiol content of excised corn (Zea mays L. ‘DK T 1100’) seedling roots whereas thiol content was decreased by the two herbicides. While thioproline or OTC partially offset tridiphane-induced decreases in thiol content, none of the antidotes effectively circumvented the reduced thiol content resulting from alachlor treatment.

Metribuzin at 0.42 kg ai/ha and metribuzin plus terbutryn at 0.28 plus 0.67 kg/ha were applied in the fall and spring to control downy brome in winter wheat from 1981 through 1985. Downy brome control averaged 88% from the fall-applied treatments and 63% from the spring-applied treatments. Yields from the fall- and spring-applied treatments averaged 136% and 132% of the check, respectively. Metribuzin plus terbutryn fall-applied controlled downy brome best (93%), and wheat yields were significantly higher than the checks in all experiments. Moreover, as downy brome density among locations increased, wheat yields decreased.

A nursery of economically important weeds in Kansas field crops, representing 15 families, was designed to include 32 species from the Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons) class and 16 species from the Liliopsida (monocotyledons) class. Using hydraulically operated equipment, 48 facricated metal cylinders 60 cm in both diameter and length were inserted in 4 h. Cylinders were inserted 40 cm deep on an established turf site and were filled with Muir silt loam collected near Manhattan, KS. Thirty summer annual species, nine perennial species, and one biennial species were transplanted in the spring; and eight winter annual species either were seeded or were transplanted in the fall. All species except tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) J.D. Sauer # AMATU), a dioecious species, Russian thistle (Salsola iberica Sennen & Pau # SASKR), and unicorn-plant [Proboscidea louisianica (Mill.) Thellung # PROLO] successfully propagated themselves from either seed or buds. Labor requirements for healthy plant growth and overall nursery attractiveness were estimated at 50 h/yr. Installation costs prorated over a 10-yr period plus annual labor costs totaled $300/yr.

Agriprofessionals and technical college students took an examination without and with simple dichotomous keys. Without keys, only 15% and 30% of the agriprofessionals identified 71% or more of the grass and morningglory species (Ipomoea spp. # IPOZZ), respectively; 97% scored in this range for both weed groups with keys. Without keys, no student scored higher than 40% or 30% on grass and morningglory species, respectively. With keys, all students identified more than 60% and 50% of the grasses and morningglories, respectively. For grasses, only 3% of the agriprofessionals and none of the students achieved an excellent (>90%) score without keys, while 56% and 8% did with keys. Twelve percent and 65% of the agriprofessionals achieved an excellent score on the morningglory species without and with keys, respectively; 42% of the students scored higher than 80% with keys.

Experiments were conducted in south Texas from 1983 to 1987 to evaluate clopyralid for huisache control using a carpeted roller. Huisache control with clopyralid applied as broadcast sprays or with a carpeted roller generally equaled that from the same rates of picloram or of 1:1 mixtures of clopyralid plus picloram. Applications of herbicides in the fall generally were more effective than in the spring, regardless of application method. In most cases, the herbicides at 48 to 60 g ae/L fall applied with a carpeted roller killed 70% or more of the huisache. Herbicide efficacy was not reduced when all huisache top growth was removed within 1 week after roller application of a 1:1 mixture of clopyralid and picloram at 60 g ae/L. The treat-and-cut sequence should improve the quality of hay from huisache-infested pastures.

Tebuthiuron was evaluated at two Wyoming locations for its effects on big sagebrush control and associated vegetation, Big sagebrush was controlled with tebuthiuron at 0.6 to 1.1 kg ai/ha. Green needlegrass, prairie junegrass, blue grama, and Douglas rabbitbrush were unaffected by tebuthiuron treatments. Western wheatgrass and downy brome increased at different study locations and were dominant grass species at the end of 7 yr.

Herbaceous weed control was studied on a loblolly pine planting site in central Louisiana. Pine growth was enhanced without eradicating weeds; reducing weed biomass about 50% increased the mean inside bark volume of loblolly pine saplings 53% on the weeded treatments compared to the untreated control after five growing seasons in the field. Pines receiving both preplant weed control with glyphosate or disking and postplant weed control with a series of yearly treatments (1982, atrazine plus simazine; 1983, atrazine plus oxyfluorfen; 1984, hexazinone; and 1985, hexazinone) had 62% greater volume than pines on the preplant-only treatments. So, the best gains in loblolly pine volume required postplant weed control.

Field trials were conducted in 1985 and 1986 to determine the effect of incorporation on volatilization of clomazone from soil. Volatilization was detected up to 2 weeks after surface-applied or soil-incorporated treatments of clomazone at 1.1 kg ai/ha. The amount of volatilization detected was greatest following rainfall and varied between years. More clomazone volatilized after surface application than after incorporation, regardless of the climatic conditions present. Clomazone volatilization detected was in the order of no-tillage > minimum tillage > conventional tillage.

In continuous wheat or barley or in a canola/barley rotation, wild oat control every year over 4 yr maintained wild oat seedling populations at 3 plants/m2 or less. Failure to control wild oats annually increased wild oat populations (>200 plants/m2 by the fourth year) in continuous wheat dramatically, while in the other two cropping systems, populations increased to only 40 plants/m2 or less by the fourth year. In the continuous wheat and in the canola/barley rotation, wild oat control every year generally provided the best economic returns when prices and costs were averaged over 4 yr; in continuous barley, the average return was better when wild oats was controlled only in the second or third years rather than every year.

The effect of variables that influence the retention of spray droplets impacting on leaf surfaces was studied, using a uniform-size droplet generator to produce drops ranging from 63 to 545 μm diam. To observe the impaction of spray droplets more easily and to measure their velocity before and after impaction, high-speed motion photography (6000 frames/sec) was used. Rebound of spray droplets depends on the micro-structure of the target surface. Leaf surfaces of several crops and weeds reflected 63 to 545 μm diam water drops traveling at velocities less than velocities of drops delivered by popular nozzles at commonly used spray pressures. If the concentration is high enough, some surfactants can reduce the rebound of drops. With one surfactant, its concentration had to be much greater than the critical micelle concentration to reduce reflection of spray drops.

Potential herbicide loadings to groundwater are determined by soil, chemical, management, and climatic factors. Several simple assessment procedures to rank pesticides according to their potential impact on groundwater are available. Most of these procedures are not specific to any climatic region, cropping practice, or soil. Using a continuous simulation model, GLEAMS (Groundwater Loading Effects of Agricultural Management Systems), to assess potential herbicide leaching allows more condition-specific assessment. Simple relationships for relative comparisons in a specific soil/climatic setting were developed by relating simulated 50-yr mean leaching losses to the herbicide half-life/Koc ratio. Other criteria of herbicide leaching potential such as 50-yr maxima or other values based on probability distributions could be used. Although differences in soils were demonstrated in this exercise, the same procedures could be applied to different management systems.

Field experiments were established to evaluate the effect of herbicide treatments on control of tall fescue before spring or fall no-till alfalfa planting and to determine the effect of fescue control on alfalfa seedling establishment, forage yield, and forage quality. No treatment provided significantly greater tall fescue control than the standard two applications of paraquat at 13- to 21-day intervals. Fescue control values with this treatment ranged from 86 to 99% over experiments and were associated with maximum values for alfalfa ground-cover and alfalfa yield percentage parameters, 52 to 83% and 64 to 96%, respectively. Glyphosate and SC-0224 at 2.2 kg/ha and greater generally gave tall fescue control equivalent to the paraquat treatment in both spring and fall seedings as did sethoxydim at 0.6 kg/ha in spring seedings. Applications of fluazifop or HOE-0661 did not result in satisfactory tall fescue control or alfalfa establishment. Adding nonionic surfactant to glyphosate or SC-0224 did not increase tall fescue control. There was a direct linear relationship between tall fescue control and both alfalfa seedling establishment and yield percentage.