Field studies were conducted at Arlington, WI, in 1996 and 1997 and at Georgetown, DE, and LeSueur, MN, in 1997 to determine weed control efficacy, crop injury, and yield response of PAT-transformed sweet corn to glufosinate-based weed management. Sequential applications of glufosinate 10 to 18 d apart at 0.4 and 0.3 kg ai/ha controlled common lambsquarters, common ragweed, velvetleaf, wild-proso millet, and fall panicum 90% or better at all locations. Weed control varied little among 0.3, 0.4, or 0.3 and 0.3 (sequential) kg/ha glufosinate rates. Glufosinate applied alone, with, or following atrazine controlled velvetleaf 90% or greater but was less consistent on common ragweed and common lambsquarters (73 to 100%). Atrazine plus metolachlor applied preemergence (PRE) and glufosinate applied alone postemergence (POST) provided inconsistent wild-proso millet and fall panicum control (43 to 99%). Metolachlor followed by glufosinate improved consistency of grass control (> 76%). Glufosinate followed by cultivation provided 80% or greater control of velvetleaf and wild-proso millet. Glufosinate did not injure or delay maturity of PAT-transformed sweet corn. Sweet corn treated with glufosinate resulted in yields greater than or equal to the sweet corn that was hand-weeded or received a standard herbicide treatment.

Field experiments were conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995 to determine the effects of glufosinate rate and application timing on giant foxtail, common lambsquarters, common cocklebur, and Pennsylvania smartweed control in absence of a crop. Glufosinate at 140 g ai/ha controlled less than 80% of the weed species evaluated. When glufosinate rate was increased to 420 g/ha and applied to 10-cm giant foxtail, control was greater than 80% all 3 yr of the study. Applications made to 10-cm plants resulted in 80% or greater control for common cocklebur all 3 yr and Pennsylvania smartweed 2 of the 3 yr with 420 and 560 g/ha, respectively. Common lambsquarters was the most tolerant species evaluated and was not consistently controlled acceptably (> 80%), even with glufosinate at rates of 560 g/ha. Control with glufosinate at 420 or 560 g/ha was most effective when applied at the 10-cm weed height compared either to the 5- or 15-cm weed height.

Velvetleaf plants have diurnal leaf movements, which may result in decreased interception of herbicides when applications are made near sunset. However, it is not known if leaf angle alone accounts for diurnal fluctuations in efficacy. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effect of time of day (TOD) of application and velvetleaf leaf angle on glufosinate efficacy and spray interception. Glufosinate at 90, 180, and 360 g ai/ha was applied to 10-cm-tall plants at 4:00, 6:00, 7:00, 7:30, and 8:00 P.M., respectively. Leaf angles were either manipulated physically to −90° or the plant's natural 2:00 P.M. leaf angle (approximately −10°) or were allowed to exhibit their natural leaf movements. Plant dry weight 3 wk after treatment revealed that TOD effects were observed for all leaf angle treatments after glufosinate application at 90 g/ha. At 180 g/ha glufosinate, there was no TOD effect for plants with 2 P.M. leaf angles, whereas there was a TOD effect for plants with −90° and natural leaf angles. At 360 g/ha glufosinate, biomass for the −90° leaf angle plants was similar to that for the natural and the 2:00 P.M. leaf angle plants when glufosinate was applied at 4:00 P.M. but was significantly different at or after 6:00 P.M. This suggests that at least 4 h of light is needed to provide optimum herbicide activity when spray interception is reduced as a result of leaf movements. Leaf angle decreased by as much as 70% from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M., which resulted in approximately 50% less spray interception at 8:00 P.M. than at 4:00 P.M. These data provide evidence that leaf angle plays a pivotal role in reducing glufosinate efficacy when applications are made near sundown. However, leaf angle is not the sole reason for reduced efficacy because TOD effects were observed at different leaf angles with 4 h of light, after an application of 360 g/ha glufosinate.

The initiative to use plant pathogens and allelochemicals from pathogens and other microorganisms as biological weed control agents (bioherbicides) began about 30 yr ago. Since then, numerous plant pathogens (bacteria and fungi) and microbial allelochemicals have been isolated, identified, and tested for their bioherbicidal potential. Pathogens (and in some cases microbial phytotoxins) may be used directly on target weed species, or such allelochemicals may provide unique chemical templates for the synthesis of new herbicide classes with novel molecular modes of action. To date, the most successful microbial products that have led to the development of commercial herbicides are bialaphos (commercially available in Japan) and glufosinate (marketed worldwide). Glufosinate is the ammonium salt of phosphinothricin, which is the active ingredient of bialaphos derived from a nonphytopathogenic Streptomyces species. This overview will examine selected advances in the isolation and identification of novel plant pathogens that have weed hosts, and some microbial allelochemicals with phytotoxic properties. Perspectives on the use of these bioherbicides in weed control, relative to their allelopathic interactions with plants will be discussed.