Field experiments were conducted in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 1991 to 1994 to study the competition of littleseed canarygrass and short-spiked canarygrass biotypes in wheat and to evaluate their response to diclofop, fenoxaprop, tralkoxydim, and CGA-184927. Competitive ability of all canarygrass biotypes was similar, though species differed in panicle numbers. All littleseed canarygrass biotypes showed faster growth rate than the short-spiked canarygrass biotypes. Wheat grain yield decreased as canarygrass density increased. For example, 152 and 304 canarygrass plants m–2 reduced wheat yield 32 and 42%, respectively. None of the canarygrass biotypes at any density had any effect on grain yield of wheat when cold and dry weather prevailed during the early stages of growth. CGA-184927 and tralkoxydim were more effective herbicides against all short-spiked canarygrass biotypes than fenoxaprop and diclofop. CGA-184927 and fenoxaprop provided > 98% control of all littleseed canarygrass biotypes; control with tralkoxydim was < 80%; and diclofop gave 82 to 96% control of this weed species. Herbicide control of canarygrass increased wheat yield relative to the weedy control, and only diclofop was phytotoxic to wheat.

Field experiments were established in Greece from 1990 to 1993 to study the effect of littleseed and short-spiked canarygrass density on wheat and barley yield, as well as the influence of littleseed canarygrass removal time on wheat yield. Competitive ability of both canarygrass species in wheat was similar, though littleseed canarygrass showed faster growth rate and formed more panicles than short-spiked canarygrass. Grain yield of wheat was not significantly affected by the presence of 76 plants m−2 of either canarygrass species, but it was reduced by 36 to 39% by the presence of 304 canarygrass plants m−2. None of the canarygrass species at any density had any effect on grain yield of wheat when cold and dry conditions prevailed during the early stages of growth. Grain yield of barley was not affected by any density of either canarygrass species. Growth and consequently panicle number of both canarygrass species were severely reduced by the interference of barley. The littleseed canarygrass removal time study indicated that emergence of this weed was completed by the middle of February. Grain yield of wheat grown with 150 littleseed canarygrass plants m−2 was not affected even when these plants were removed early in April. However, the presence of these canarygrass plants until harvest reduced grain yield of wheat by 23 to 28%.

The response of littleseed canarygrass biotypes to isoproturon, pendimethalin, and diclofop-methyl was evaluated in India, in pot studies and the field during the winters of 1991 to 1992 and 1992 to 1993. Some biotypes of littleseed canarygrass were resistant to isoproturon but cross-resistance to pendimethalin and diclofop-methyl was not confirmed. The resistant biotype required a higher dose of diclofop-methyl than the susceptible biotype. Variations in the response of littleseed canarygrass biotypes were not due to isoproturon formulation. Resistant biotypes required 2 to 8 times more isoproturon than a susceptible biotype for the same level of control. Diclofop-methyl at 1.0 kg ai/ha applied at the 2- to 3-leaf stage of littleseed canarygrass in pot experiments and PRE pendimethalin at 1.5 kg ai/ha in field trials controlled resistant biotypes. Field surveys of the affected areas revealed that resistance in littleseed canarygrass is more prevalent in rice-wheat rotations compared to other crop sequences. Control of littleseed canarygrass with isoproturon dropped from 78 to 21% from 1990 to 1993.