Field studies were conducted in 1999, 2000, and 2001 to investigate weed control and glyphosate-resistant corn tolerance to postemergence applications of mesotrione at 70, 105, and 140 g ai/ha applied with and without glyphosate at 560 g ai/ha. Mesotrione alone and mixed with glyphosate controlled smooth pigweed greater than 97% and common lambsquarters 93 to 99%. Control of common ragweed and morningglory species was variable. Common ragweed control was generally best when mesotrione was applied at 105 or 140 g/ha, and control increased only in 2000 with the addition of glyphosate. Giant foxtail control was below 25% with all rates of mesotrione, but mixtures of mesotrione plus glyphosate controlled giant foxtail 65 to 75%. Mesotrione injured glyphosate-resistant corn 4 to 24% when averaged over glyphosate rates, and injury was usually increased by higher mesotrione rates, with rainfall after herbicide applications, and in mixtures with glyphosate. Injury was transient and did not reduce corn yields. Mesotrione injury on glyphosate-resistant corn was confirmed in the greenhouse, where all mesotrione treatments reduced glyphosate-resistant corn biomass 9 to 23% compared with the nontreated check.

Field experiments were conducted in 1999 and 2000 to evaluate early POST (EPOST) and late POST (LPOST) control of common ragweed and giant foxtail with mesotrione at 70, 105, and 140 g ai/ha alone and in mixtures with glufosinate at 300 g ai/ha in glufosinate-resistant corn. Glufosinate-resistant corn injury was frequently higher with mixtures of mesotrione plus glufosinate than with mesotrione applied alone. Mixtures of mesotrione with glufosinate applied EPOST injured corn 6 to 21% in 1999, but in 2000, injury from mixtures was 23 to 30% from LPOST applications. Common ragweed control was above 77% with all treatments, which included 105 g/ha mesotrione. Giant foxtail control was higher at 76 to 78% by mixtures of mesotrione with glufosinate applied LPOST than by mesotrione alone. Corn yields were highest when glufosinate was included in treatments at either application timing. In the greenhouse, mixtures of mesotrione with glufosinate-injured glufosinate-resistant corn 11% or less, but corn biomass was reduced by 25% for the mixture of mesotrione at 105 g/ha plus glufosinate at 350 g/ha. Mixtures of mesotrione with glufosinate can be more effective than mesotrione alone but control of common ragweed and giant foxtail might not be commercially acceptable.

Field studies were conducted in 1999, 2000, and 2001 to evaluate mesotrione at 105 and 210 g ai/ha alone and in mixtures with imazethapyr at 70 g ai/ha and the prepackage mixture of imazethapyr at 47 g/ha plus imazapyr at 16 g ai/ha postemergence. Mixtures of mesotrione with imazethapyr and imazethapyr plus imazapyr controlled common ragweed, common lambsquarters, and morningglory species better than imazethapyr or imazethapyr plus imazapyr alone. Similarly, mixtures of mesotrione with these imidazolinone herbicides improved the control of giant foxtail over that by mesotrione alone. Crop injury did not exceed 11% with all treatments and appeared as transient stunting. Yields of corn treated with mixtures of mesotrione plus imidazolinone herbicides were highest in 2000 and 2001, when rainfall was higher than in 1999.

Field experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate total POST weed control in corn with mixtures of mesotrione, atrazine, and the commercial mixture of nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine at registered and reduced rates. Treatments were compared with nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST, and S-metolachlor plus atrazine PRE alone and followed by (fb) nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST. All treatments controlled common lambsquarters 8 wk after the postemergence treatments (WAPT). Common ragweed control with POST mesotrione plus nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine combinations was greater than 89%. Mesotrione plus the registered rate of nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST controlled common ragweed more effectively than the PRE treatment alone. Addition of atrazine to mesotrione improved common ragweed control by at least 38 percentage points over mesotrione alone. Nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine at the registered rate and in mixtures with mesotrione controlled morningglory species (pitted and ivyleaf morningglory) 89 to 91%. Large crabgrass control varied between 2002 and 2003. In 2002, large crabgrass control was 58 to 76% with all POST treatments, but in 2003, nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST alone controlled large crabgrass greater than 86%. Large crabgrass was more effectively controlled by treatments with S-metolachlor plus atrazine PRE than by the total POST treatments in 2002. Giant foxtail was controlled at least 97% with nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine treatments. S-metolachlor plus atrazine PRE fb nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST controlled all weed species greater than 85%. Corn yields by total POST treatment combinations of mesotrione plus either rate of nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine were comparable to S-metolachlor plus atrazine PRE alone or fb nicosulfuron plus rimsulfuron plus atrazine POST.