Greenhouse and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the effects of dicamba, atrazine, and bentazon on efficacy, foliar absorption, and translocation of MON 12000 or CGA-152005 applied to velvetleaf. The efficacy of MON 12000, CGA-152005, and a combination of CGA-152005 plus primisulfuron applied at 4.5 g ai ha−1 was similar when applied alone or with 140 g ha−1 of dicamba. However, applying these herbicides in combination with 840 or 560 g ha−1 of atrazine or bentazon, respectively, reduced velvetleaf control. Increasing the rate of MON 12000, CGA-152005, or the combination of CGA-152005 plus primisulfuron to 9 g ai ha−1 or replacing crop oil concentrate (COC) with methylated seed oil (MSO) increased velvetleaf control of the atrazine and bentazon combinations but not to levels equal to these herbicides applied alone. Dicamba had no effect on the foliar absorption and translocation of 14C from MON 12000 or CGA-152005. Atrazine had little effect on foliar absorption of 14C from MON 12000 or CGA-152005, but bentazon reduced the foliar absorption of 14C from MON 12000. Replacing COC with MSO increased the foliar absorption of 14C from MON 12000 or CGA-152005 applied alone or with dicamba or atrazine, but not with bentazon. Translocation of 14C from MON 12000 or CGA-152005 out of the treated leaves was 11 and 12%, respectively, averaged across adjuvants and sampling times. These values were reduced to an average of 3 to 4% for both MON 12000 and CGA-152005 when applied in combination with atrazine or bentazon. The majority of 14C from MON 12000 or CGA-152005 was translocated acropetally. Atrazine and bentazon significantly reduced the acropetal translocation of 14C from MON 12000 at 24 and 72 h and for CGA-152005 at 12, 24, and 72 h. The physiological basis for the observed antagonism of MON 12000 and CGA-152005 by atrazine and bentazon appears to be due to reductions in acropetal translocation of MON 12000 and CGA-152005 to velvetleaf meristems.

Weed suppression in green pea was evaluated when green pea was planted after a fall planting of rapeseed, white mustard, rye, or wheat had been incorporated into the soil in spring. Tests were conducted at Mount Vernon, WA, in 1994 and 1995. Weed suppression in peas varied between different green manure crops. One month after planting, the highest weed population was in green pea following wheat, whereas the lowest was in green pea following rapeseed. Rye and white mustard suppressed early weeds relative to wheat by 25 and 30%, respectively. However, at harvest, weed density was similar in green pea planted after all green manure crops. Weed suppression improved when cultivation or metribuzin at 0.14 kg ha−1 was used in combination with white mustard, rapeseed, or rye. Pea population was not affected by green manure crops, except for rapeseed, which reduced pea population. In greenhouse experiments, white mustard added to the soil at 20 g per 400 g air dry soil reduced emergence of shepherd's-purse, kochia, and green foxtail by 97, 54, and 49%, respectively. Rapeseed suppressed emergence of shepherd's-purse, kochia, and green foxtail by 76, 25, and 25%, respectively.

Levels of inter- and intrapopulation genetic variation were determined in five North American populations of leafy spurge using chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) RFLPs and RAPD markers. Thirteen plastome types were identified among 123 individuals collected from five geographically separated populations. Number of plastomes within a population ranged from one to seven, with four of the populations having a predominate type plus one or more rarer types. Some plastome types were shared by populations, but plastome distribution among populations was nonrandom. RAPD markers indicated greatest relatedness among individuals within a population. Relatedness among populations as established through RAPDs was greater for geographically closer populations; this relationship was not observed for cpDNA markers. Differences in the range of movement for pollen and seed may account for differences between results of the cpDNA and RAPD analyses. The high degree of genetic variability among North American leafy spurge suggests possible multiple introductions or a high degree of variability within leafy spurge populations in its native range.

This paper presents a framework in which the spatial and temporal domain of weed populations can be analyzed using geographically referenced information. The regional framework for analysis is based on the premise that the domain of a weed species or an assemblage of species can be described in terms of the space and time in which they survive. Published maps of the spatial distribution of individual weed species were converted to digital records defining their geographic domain. Digital records were imported into a geographically referenced data system. Assemblage maps were produced by intersecting domains of individual species. The assemblage maps show areas with similar intensity of the occurrence of species selected for analysis. The most intense occurrence of summer annual species, for example, exists in a relatively small area of the Midwest. The framework presented in this paper is a concept for a tool to evaluate, manage, and manipulate weed distribution data at the regional scale. Analysis at the regional scale is a perspective substantially different from the plot or field-scale analysis traditionally used to study and manage weed populations. Regional analysis has application to weed science by increasing the understanding of regional patterns of weed infestation and the factors that regulate them. This information will be useful to the herbicide industry, plant ecologists, resource managers, and agricultural policy makers.