The objective of this 2-yr study was to determine the optimal length of time between stale-seedbed preparation and planting that maximized weed control along with growth, development, and yield of cucumbers, compared with conventional seedbeds. Stale-seedbeds were prepared 40, 30, 20, and 10 d before planting (DBP), with an additional treatment of 40-DBP seedbed that received an application of glyphosate at 0.9 kg ae/ha, 20 DBP (40 and 20 DBP). The control (0 DBP) was prepared at planting. Glyphosate plus glufosinate ammonium at 1.26 and 0.042 kg ae/ha were applied after cucumber seeding to kill any emerged weeds. The experiment was a split-plot design in which one half of the main plots were treated with a preemergence application of clomazone at 0.42 kg ai/ha after cucumber seeding. Management of the stale-seedbed influenced the level of weed control and final crop yield. Generally, the 40-DBP seedbed had the highest weed biomass at planting and the lowest at harvest. Cucumber density, leaf number, and vine length were reduced in this treatment, and flowering was delayed because of the high weed biomass present during seedling emergence. All stale-seedbeds, with the exception of the 40-DBP stale-seedbed, had greater yields compared with the control (0 DBP) seedbed. The optimal timing of stale-seedbed preparation was 20 to 30 DBP. Seedbed preparation could be expanded to 40 DBP; however, an application of glyphosate at 20 DBP would be required to optimize yield. The stale-seedbed in combination with herbicides was a superior integrated weed management tool compared with conventional weed management practices.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of hairy beggarticks plants to different doses of glufosinate ammonium and the range in sensitivities of the plants and their progenies to the herbicide. Three studies were conducted, all in a greenhouse and repeated at different times. In the first study, two experiments were conducted to examine the dose–response curve, and the treatments were seven different doses of the herbicide glufosinate ammonium (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600 g ai ha−1), with four replications each. In the second study, which examined the range in sensitivity of hairy beggarticks to glufosinate ammonium, 44 plants were sprayed with a dose of 200 g ai ha−1 of the herbicide. Finally, in the third study, the range in sensitivity of the progeny of hairy beggarticks to glufosinate ammonium was investigated; in this experiment, the progenies of seven of the previous plants were sprayed with 200 g ai ha−1 of herbicide. The ammonium contents in the tissues were measured and percent injury wase visually assessed. Ammoniun content in hairy beggarticks leaves was increased more than seven times by glufosinate application and the maximum ammonium content was observed for the highest dose of the herbicide. Variability existed in the ammonium content among the individuals of the population of hairy beggarticks; however, the behavior was not replicated in the same way in the progenies. The survival of the plants after application of the herbicide allows the production of progenies with wide variability in their sensitivity to the product, independent of the behavior for the progenitor plants.