Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
Fluazifop {(±)-2-[4-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridinyl] oxy] phenoxy] propanoic acid} controlled annual grasses in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L. ‘Calypso’ and ‘Poinsett’), cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. ‘Edisto 47’), zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L. ‘Elite’), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. ‘Jewel’) when applied as single or repeated applications of 0.3 or 0.6 kg ai/ha during 1982 and 1983 in North Carolina. All crops were generally tolerant to fluazifop and yields were equal to cultivated controls in all but one experiment. Residues detected in the various crops by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) decreased as time elapsed between application and harvest increased. Approximately 1 ppm (w/w) of fluazifop was detected in cucumbers at 8 days after application, but residues were below the least detectable limit (0.05 ppm) when cucumbers, squash, and cantaloupe were harvested at 18 to 29 days after application. Fluazifop concentrations were 0.06 ppm or less in sweet potatoes at 55 days after application, and no fluazifop was detected at 84 days after application. Small cucumbers (<12 cm long) had greater fluazifop residues than larger fruit (>12 cm long) 20 days following application.