In the Midwestern United States, winter hilling, consisting of two tillage activities per year, is required in vinifera-grape vineyards for winter protection. However, this practice often leads to severe soil erosion and pesticide offsite movement. The effectiveness of wheat straw mulch as a replacement for soil mounding was investigated as a way of providing winter protection and to mitigate pesticide leaching and runoff. A laboratory experiment was conducted where simazine was applied to wheat straw or bare soil and then followed by simulated rainfalls. When compared with bare soil, straw reduced simazine leaching and runoff by 40 and 68%, respectively. Adsorption or interception, or both, of simazine by straw were responsible for this effect. Additionally, straw reduced soil erosion by 95% and would largely reduce simazine runoff associated with sediment displacement. The first simulated rainfall contributed 70 and 34% of total simazine runoff from bare soil and straw, respectively. In conclusion, mulching with straw during winter months to provide winter protection could be an effective practice for controlling simazine offsite movement and soil erosion in vinifera vineyards.

Management of Italian ryegrass in cereal-based cropping systems continues to be a major production constraint in areas of the United States, including the soft white winter wheat producing regions of the Pacific Northwest. Pyroxasulfone is a soil-applied herbicide with the potential to control broadleaf and grass weed species, including grass weed biotypes resistant to group 1, 2, and 7 herbicides, in several crops for which registration has been completed or is pending, including wheat, corn, sunflower, dry bean, and soybean. Field experiments were conducted from 2006 through 2009 near Corvallis, OR, to evaluate the potential for Italian ryegrass control in winter wheat with applications of pyroxasulfone. Application rates of PRE treatments ranged from 0.05 to 0.15 kg ai ha−1. All treatments were compared to standard Italian ryegrass soil-applied herbicides used in winter wheat, including diuron, flufenacet, and flufenacet + metribuzin. Visual evaluations of Italian ryegrass and ivyleaf speedwell control and winter wheat injury were made at regular intervals following applications. Winter wheat yields were quantified at grain maturity. Ivyleaf speedwell control was variable, and Italian ryegrass control following pyroxasulfone applications ranged from 65 to 100% and was equal to control achieved with flufenacet and flufenacet + metribuzin treatments and greater than that achieved with diuron applications. Winter wheat injury from pyroxasulfone ranged from 0 to 8% and was most associated with the 0.15–kg ha−1 application rate. However, this early-season injury did not negatively impact winter wheat yield. Pyroxasulfone applied at the application rates and timings in these studies resulted in high levels of activity on Italian ryegrass and excellent winter wheat safety. Based on the results, pyroxasulfone has the potential to be used as a soil-applied herbicide in winter wheat for Italian ryegrass management and its utility for management of other important grass and broadleaf weeds of cereal-based cropping systems should be evaluated.

Triticale is a low input crop, produced in North America primarily for silage for animal feed. Currently, seed growers have few herbicide options for producing certified seed. There is anecdotal evidence that triticale tolerates many of the same herbicides as wheat. In 2004 and 2005, the tolerance of three spring triticale varieties (AC Alta, AC Ultima, and Pronghorn) was tested with four herbicides registered for wheat: florasulam + MCPA ester, clodinafop-propargyl, thifensulfuron-methyl/tribenuron-methyl, and sulfosulfuron-methyl + 2,4-D ester. Herbicides were applied at the label rate (1×) for wheat and twice (2×) that rate. Crop injury, plant height, biomass, and seed yields were quantified. Neither florasulam + MCPA ester, clodinafop-propargyl, nor thifensulfuron-methyl/tribenuron-methyl at 1× or 2× use rates significantly injured triticale. Sulfosulfuron-methyl + 2,4-D ester reduced triticale height at the 1× and 2× rates, as well as reduced biomass and yield at the 2× rate. Florasulam + MCPA ester, clodinafop-propargyl, and thifensulfuron-methyl/tribenuron-methyl do not cause significant crop injury and can be used for weed control in spring triticale, but sulfosulfuron-methyl + 2,4-D ester is not recommended for use in triticale.