Tolpyralate is a new 4-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide for POST weed management in corn; however, there is limited information regarding its efficacy. Six field studies were conducted in Ontario, Canada, over 3 yr (2015 to 2017) to determine the biologically effective dose of tolpyralate for the control of eight annual weed species. Tolpyralate was applied POST at six doses from 3.75 to 120 g ai ha−1 and tank mixed at a 1:33.3 ratio with atrazine at six doses from 125 to 4,000 g ha−1. Regression analysis was performed to determine the effective dose (ED) of tolpyralate, and tolpyralate+atrazine, required to achieve 50%, 80%, or 90% control of eight weed species at 1, 2, 4, and 8 wk after application (WAA). The ED of tolpyralate for 90% control (ED90) of velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, common ragweed, redroot pigweed or Powell amaranth, and green foxtail at 8 WAA was ≤15.5 g ha−1; however, tolpyralate alone did not provide 90% control of wild mustard, barnyardgrass, or ladysthumb at 8 WAA at any dose evaluated in this study. In contrast, the ED90 for all species in this study with tolpyralate+atrazine was ≤13.1+436 g ha−1, indicating that tolpyralate+atrazine can be highly efficacious at low field doses.

Perception of light by phytochrome is a mechanism that triggers weed seed germination in response to soil disturbance. Photoconversion of phytochrome from the red light absorbing form to the active far-red absorbing form depends on hydration of phytochrome. This research was conducted to determine the soil water threshold for the photoinduction of germination by the brief exposure of light that occurs during soil disturbance, and to determine how this threshold is affected by the fluence of the light stimulus and fluence sensitivity of the seed population. Redroot pigweed seedling emergence and germination response to red light (R) was studied for a range of water potentials. Water potential gradients were established by incubating seeds in soils wetted to various water contents, or in polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG) solutions. After imposing the light treatments, seeds were returned to a fully hydrated state. Seedling emergence in response to R increased as the volumetric water content (θv) of soils increased. At volumetric water contents of 4.0%, R-induced seedling emergence was inhibited 50% compared to photoinduced seedling emergence at the highest soil water contents tested. Attenuation of photoinduction was more pronounced at low vs. high R fluences in freshly imbibed seeds, but was unaffected in seeds that exhibited enhanced fluence sensitivity. In ecosystems where seasonal soil moisture extremes are prevalent, the photoinduction of seed germination may be limited in dry microsites such as surface crusts or under extreme drought conditions.

Redroot pigweed is a common weed in sorghum fields throughout the southcentral United States including Kansas. In 1994 and 1995, field studies were conducted at two sites near Manhattan, KS, to determine the influence of redroot pigweed densities and times of emergence on sorghum yield and yield components. Redroot pigweed was sown at densities of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 12 plants meter−1 of row within a 25-cm band over the sorghum row at planting and at the three- to four-leaf stage of sorghum. A rectangular hyperbola was used to describe the relationship between crop yield loss and weed density. Because of the instability of both coefficients I (percentage yield loss at low weed density) and A (percentage yield loss at high weed density), our results do not support the use of a model based exclusively on weed number to estimate sorghum yield loss across all locations within a region. A quadratic polynomial equation that accounts for the time of weed emergence relative to the crop growth stage is suggested as an alternative method to estimate sorghum yield loss. At the densities studied, the time of pigweed emergence relative to the sorghum leaf stage was critical for the outcome of sorghum-pigweed competition. Significant sorghum yield losses occurred only when pigweed emerged before the 5.5-leaf stage of sorghum. An examination of yield components suggested that the yield loss was a result of a reduction in number of seeds per head.

Organic soil amendments are known to affect the composition and density of annual weed communities. The objective of this research was to measure the effect on emergence and growth of redroot pigweed seedlings when soil was amended with composted dairy manure at 18, 36, and 54 T/ha, or with raw dairy manure at 41, 82, and 123 T/ha. Data recorded (1) seedling emergence over 12 days, (2) number of leaves and total leaf area, (3) shoot and root dry weight, and (4) seed number. Maximum seedling emergence (32%) occurred in nonamended soil (the control). Emergence declined in a linear fashion when soil was amended with manure or with compost. Compost additions affected seedling emergence more severely than did manure additions. For every measure of redroot pigweed growth except seed production, amendment with manure at 123 T/ha retarded growth compared to soil alone or compost-amended mixes. Manure applied at 82 T/ha reduced leaf area and plant height relative to other treatments. Growth of redroot pigweed in soil amended with compost at 36 and 54 T/ha was always equal to or greater than growth in soil that was not amended. Seed production in one of two runs of the experiment was more than double in soils amended with compost at 36 and 54 T/ha compared to the nonamended soil. These results suggest that amending soils with raw dairy manure may decrease the competitiveness of redroot pigweed, whereas amending with composted manure is likely to increase competitiveness.

Field experiments were conducted at Oakes, Absaraka, and Tappen, ND, in 2006 and repeated at Oakes and Absaraka, ND, in 2007 to evaluate early season weed control of common lambsquarters and redroot pigweed in onion with POST herbicides applied at multiple reduced rates (microrates) and to determine whether microrate herbicide treatments effectively reduced early season broadleaf weed competition, caused crop injury, or affected yield. Application rates of bromoxynil, oxyfluorfen, metribuzin, and acifluorfen were reduced to 0.25, 0.13, and 0.06× of their lowest labeled rate and applied in sequential applications (every 7 d) either two or three times. The 0.25× rate of bromoxynil (70.1 g ae/ha) provided the greatest control of common lambsquarters (95%). The 0.25× rates of bromoxynil and oxyfluorfen (70.1 g ai/ha) provided the greatest control of redroot pigweed (93 and 85%, respectively). Microrate applications of metribuzin or acifluorfen did not effectively control common lambsquarters or redroot pigweed. In 2006, no onion injury was observed. However, in 2007, applications of oxyfluorfen resulted in approximately 15% injury, regardless of the herbicide rate or the number of applications. Plants outgrew symptoms by 4 wk after treatment and were similar to the untreated plants. Onion treated with oxyfluorfen had the greatest total yield, followed by onion treated with bromoxynil. Onion treated with acifluorfen had a greater total marketable bulb yield than onion treated with metribuzin, but yield was considered poor compared to the other herbicide treatments. Three microrate applications provided greater weed control and increased yield compared with two applications across herbicides and rates. Results suggest that microrate applications of bromoxynil and oxyfluorfen will provide early season broadleaf weed control in onion.

Weed management could be more efficient and require less herbicide if growers could afford to estimate the composition, density, and distribution of weed seed banks. Spatial distribution of a weed seed bank will affect the accuracy of both mean estimates and interpolated maps of density. Consequently, information about the general characteristics of spatial distributions of seeds in a seed bank is needed to identify the most efficient strategies for sampling. Seed banks were sampled on 8.4-m square grids in eight irrigated corn fields to identify the common features of distributions of seed banks of annual weeds. Spatial dependence was described with correlograms for four to eight species in each field. Spatial dependence was detected for 36 of 45 distributions, and seed counts were correlated to an average distance of 25 to 150 m for a distribution. Seed banks of different species and fields had common features of spatial correlation: spatial pattern accounted for less than half of the total variability of seed counts, spatial correlation decreased rapidly over short distances, and ranges of spatial dependence varied with direction. For half of the distributions, the maximum range of spatial dependence was at least twice as long as the minimum range. Seed counts were correlated for the longest distances in the direction of the crop row for 16 distributions, and the distance was longer in the direction of the crop row than across rows for 26 of the 36 samples. Researchers should be able to design more efficient sampling plans for growers if the common features of spatial dependence are considered. For seed banks like these, the accuracy of maps and estimates of seed bank density may be improved by collecting multiple cores around each sampling location to mitigate the effect of short-scale spatial variability. In addition, sampling may be more efficient with grids and interpolation methods that account for ranges that are 1.5 to 2 times longer in the direction of the crop row than perpendicular to the row. With a 55- by 30-m sampling grid, adjacent observations would be correlated, and maps could be made for 80% of these seed banks. More closely spaced observations would be needed to describe the rapid decline in spatial correlation with distance for a more accurate or finer-scale map. Whether sampling seed banks for making management decisions will be cost-effective is not clear. However, potential methods to sample and map seed bank distributions more efficiently have not been exhausted.