Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017
An experiment conducted at five locations in North Carolina during 1998 and 1999 evaluated weed management systems in cotton with CGA-362622 and pyrithiobac. Weed management systems evaluated different combinations with or without fluometuron preemergence (PRE) followed by (fb) CGA-362622 early postemergence (EPOST), postemergence (POST), or EPOST + POST; or pyrithiobac EPOST fb prometryn plus MSMA late postemergence directed (LAYBY) or no LAYBY treatment. The weed species evaluated include common ragweed, entireleaf morningglory, pitted morningglory, prickly sida, sicklepod, tall morningglory, and yellow nutsedge. Fluometuron PRE improved the control of all weed species by at least 17 percentage points and increased cotton lint yield compared with the systems that did not use fluometuron PRE. Prometryn plus MSMA LAYBY improved the control of all weed species and increased lint yield compared with the systems that did not use prometryn plus MSMA LAYBY when PRE or POST herbicides were used. Control with CGA-362622 at all application timings was greater than 70% for all weed species evaluated (common ragweed, entireleaf morningglory, pitted morningglory, sicklepod, tall morningglory, and yellow nutsedge), except prickly sida. Control of all three morningglory species and prickly sida was at least 70% with pyrithiobac, whereas control of common ragweed, sicklepod, and yellow nutsedge was lower. The only cotton that yielded over 800 kg ha−1 was treated with fluometuron PRE fb CGA-362622 EPOST, POST, or EPOST + POST fb prometryn plus MSMA LAYBY. Cotton treated with pyrithiobac EPOST gave yields that were similar to those given by cotton treated with CGA-362622 EPOST in systems with fluometuron PRE and less than those given by cotton treated with CGA-362622 EPOST in systems without fluometuron PRE. Early-season injury with CGA-362622 was greater than 60% at Clayton and Rocky Mount in 1998, whereas 12% or less injury was observed at the other locations. Pyrithiobac resulted in 25 to 45% injury at these two locations. No injury was observed 45 d after treatment.