The efficacy of WSSA Group 4 herbicides has been reported to vary with dependence on the time of day the application is made, which may affect the value of this mechanism of action as a control option and resistance management tool for Palmer amaranth. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of time of day for application on 2,4-D and dicamba translocation and whether or not altering translocation affected any existing variation in phytotoxicity seen across application time of day. Maximum translocation (Tmax) of [14C]2,4-D and [14C]dicamba out of the treated leaf was significantly increased 52% and 29% to 34% in one of two repeated experiments for each herbicide, respectively, with application at 7:00 AM compared with applications at 2:00 PM and/or 12:00 AM. Applications at 7:00 AM increased [14C]2,4-D distribution to roots and increased [14C]dicamba distribution above the treated leaf compared with other application timings. In phytotoxicity experiments, dicamba application at 8 h after exposure to darkness (HAED) resulted in significantly lower dry root biomass than dicamba application at 8 h after exposure to light (HAEL). Contrasts indicated that injury resulting from dicamba application at 8 HAEL, corresponding to midday, was significantly reduced with a root treatment of 5-[N-(3,4-dimethoxyphenylethyl)methylamino]-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-isopropylvaleronitrile hydrochloride (verapamil) compared with injury observed with dicamba application and a root treatment of verapamil at 8 HAED, which corresponded to dawn. Overall, time of application appears to potentially influence translocation of 2,4-D and dicamba. Furthermore, inhibition of translocation appears to somewhat influence variation in phytotoxicity across times of application. Therefore, translocation may be involved in the varying efficacy of WSSA Group 4 herbicides due to application time of day, which has implications for the use of this mechanism of action for effective control and resistance management of Palmer amaranth.

Vegetable injury and yield loss has occurred when applying halosulfuron to low-density polyethylene mulch (LDPE) prior to transplanting. Research determined vegetable crop response to halosulfuron applied over LDPE mulch from 1 to 28 d prior to transplanting using (1) temperature effects in aqueous solution in laboratory experiments, (2) analytical evaluation of degradation from LDPE under field conditions, and (3) a field bioassay. Halosulfuron stability was evaluated on a thermal gradient table for temperatures at 10 to 42 C for 15 d. Half-life was inversely related to temperatures ranging from 38.5 d at 20 C to 3.2 d at 42 C, with little to no degradation at temperatures of 11 and 15 C. Analytical data indicated that the field half-life of halosulfuron at 26 or 52 g ha−1 applied to LDPE mulch under dry conditions was 2.6 and 2.8 d, respectively. Given the changes in the microclimate effects at the mulch surface by absorption of solar radiation, daily thermal energy quantified halosulfuron degradation (at the same rates) to be 51 and 55 MJ m−2, respectively. At 21 d after treatment (DAT), 90% of halosulfuron had dissipated from the mulch, with none detectable 35 DAT under dry conditions. When watermelon or yellow crookneck squash was transplanted into mulch previously treated with halosulfuron at 79 g ha−1, plant growth and development were equal to nontreated controls as long as there was a 14 d prior to transplant (DPT) interval accompanied by 13.5 cm of rain, or a 17 DPT interval accompanied by 6.2 cm of rain. However, at 79 g ha−1 applied at 9 or 1 DPT in 2013, and 1 DPT in 2014, halosulfuron injured yellow squash and reduced yield and fruit number. Halosulfuron at 79 g ha−1 applied 1 DPT significantly reduced watermelon yield in 2013, which was confirmed by vine length and plant biomass reductions in 2014. Halosulfuron POST controls Cyperus spp. in mulch vegetable production, but time and rainfall are required for dissipation to occur in order to prevent injury and yield loss.

Evolution of kochia biotypes resistant to multiple herbicide sites of action is an increasing concern for growers across the U.S. Great Plains. This necessitates the development of integrated strategies for kochia control in this region based on improved forecasting of periodicity and patterns of kochia emergence in the field. Field experiments were conducted near Huntley, MT, in 2013 and 2014, and in Manhattan and Hays, KS, in 2013 to characterize the timing and pattern of emergence of several kochia populations collected from the U.S. Great Plains’ states. The more rapid accumulation of growing degree days (GDD) resulted in a shorter emergence duration (E90–E10) in 2014 compared with 2013 in Montana. Kochia populations exhibited an extended emergence period (early April through mid-July). Among all kochia populations, in 2013, Kansas-Garden City (KS-GC), Kansas-Manhattan (KS-MN), Oklahoma (OK), and Montana (MT) populations began to emerge earlier, with a minimum of 151 cumulative GDD to achieve 10% cumulative emergence (E10 values) in Montana. The New Mexico-Los Lunas (NM-LL) population exhibited a delayed onset but a rapid emergence rate, while the North Dakota (ND) and Kansas-Colby (KS-CB) populations emerged over a longer duration (E90–E10 of 556 and 547 GDD, respectively) in 2013 in Montana. In 2013 at the two locations in Kansas, kochia populations exhibited a similar emergence pattern, with no differences in the time to initiate germination (E10), rate of emergence (parameter b), or duration of emergence (E90–E10). At Hays, KS, the GDD for E50 and E90 were less for ND compared with KS-MN and KS-GC local populations. In 2014 the KS-MN kochia population exhibited an early (ED10 value of 215 GDD) but a more gradual emergence pattern (E90–E10=526 GDD) in Montana. In contrast, OK and New Mexico-Las Cruces (NM-LC) populations had an early and a more rapid emergence pattern (E90–E10=153 and 154 GDD, respectively). Kochia in Montana exhibited two to four emergence peaks. This differential emergence pattern of kochia populations reflects the occurrence of different emergence “biotypes” and emphasizes the need to adopt more location-specific and diversified weed control tactics to manage kochia seedbanks.

Accurate weed emergence models are valuable tools for scheduling planting, cultivation, and herbicide applications. Multiple models predicting giant ragweed emergence have been developed, but none have been validated in diverse crop rotation and tillage systems, which have the potential to influence weed emergence patterns. This study evaluated the performance of published giant ragweed emergence models across various crop rotations and spring tillage dates in southern Minnesota. Across experiments, the most robust model was a mixed-effects Weibull (flexible sigmoidal function) model predicting emergence in relation to hydrothermal time accumulation with a base temperature of 4.4 C, a base soil matric potential of −2.5 MPa, and two random effects determined by overwinter growing degree days (GDD) (10 C) and precipitation accumulated during seedling recruitment. The deviations in emergence between individual plots and the fixed-effects model were distinguished by the positive association between the lower horizontal asymptote (Drop) and maximum daily soil temperature during seedling recruitment. This finding indicates that crops and management practices that increase soil temperature will have a shorter lag phase at the start of giant ragweed emergence compared with practices promoting cool soil temperatures. Thus, crops with early-season crop canopies such as perennial crops and crops planted in early spring and in narrow rows will likely have a slower progression of giant ragweed emergence. This research provides a valuable assessment of published giant ragweed emergence models and illustrates that accurate emergence models can be used to time field operations and improve giant ragweed control across diverse cropping systems.

Shortawn foxtail is an invasive grass weed infesting winter wheat and canola production in China. A better understanding of the germination ecology of shortawn foxtail would help to develop better control strategies for this weed. Experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to evaluate the effects of various abiotic factors, including temperature, light, pH, osmotic stress, salt concentration, and planting depth, on seed germination and seedling emergence of shortawn foxtail. The results showed that the seed germination rate was greater than 90% over a wide range of constant (5 to 25C) and alternating (15/5 to 35/25C) temperatures. Maximum germination occurred at 20C or 25/15C, and no germination occurred at 35C. Light did not appear to have any effect on seed germination. Shortawn foxtail germination was 27% to 99% over a pH range of 4 to 10, and higher germination was obtained at alkaline pH values ranging from 7 to 10. Seed germination was sensitive to osmotic potential and completely inhibited at an osmotic potential of −0.6 MPa, but it was tolerant to salinity: germination even occurred at 200 mM NaCl (5%). Seedling emergence was highest (98%) when seeds were placed on the soil surface but declined with the increasing burial depth. No seedlings emerged when seeds were buried 6-cm deep. Deep tillage could be an effective measure to limit seed germination from increased burial depth. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the requirements for shortawn foxtail germination and emergence and will provide information that could contribute to its control.

Soybean yield gain over the last century has been attributed to both genetic and agronomic improvements. Recent research has characterized how breeding efforts to improve yield gain have also secondarily impacted agronomic practices such as seeding rate, planting date, and fungicide use. To our knowledge, no research has characterized the relationship between weed–soybean interference and genetic yield gain. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine whether newer cultivars would consistently yield higher than older cultivars under increasingly competitive environments, and whether soybean breeding efforts over time have indirectly increased soybean competitiveness. Field research was conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2016 in which 40 maturity group (MG) II soybean cultivars released between 1928 and 2013 were grown season-long with three different densities of volunteer corn (0, 2.8, and 11.2 plants m−2). Soybean seed yield of newer cultivars was higher than older cultivars at each volunteer corn density (P<0.0001). Soybean seed yield was also higher in the weed-free treatment than at low or high volunteer corn seeding rates. However, soybean cultivar release year did not affect late-season volunteer corn shoot dry biomass at either seeding rate of 2.8 or 11.2 seeds m−2. The results indicate that while soybean breeding efforts have increased yield potential over time, they have not increased soybean competitiveness with volunteer corn. These results highlight the importance of other cultural practices such as planting date and crop row spacing for weed suppression in modern soybean production systems.

Ragweed parthenium is a highly invasive weed species in several countries, including Australia. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of temperature, light, salinity, pH, and moisture on germination of two Australian biotypes of ragweed parthenium: Clermont (highly invasive) and Toogoolawah (noninvasive). Although seeds of both biotypes could germinate under complete darkness, germination was improved by 20% to 49% under a 12-h photoperiod. Both biotypes germinated over a wide range of constant (8 to 35 C), and alternating day/night (15/5 to 35/25 C) temperatures. However, the Clermont biotype exhibited significantly higher germination than Toogoolawah biotype over the range of temperatures studied. Highest germination of Clermont (100%) and Toogoolawah (97%) was observed at constant temperatures of 14 to 23 C and 23 C, respectively. The best alternating day/night temperature for germination of both biotypes was 25/15 C. Clermont also germinated better than Toogoolawah under osmotic- and salt-stress conditions. Osmotic stress had moderate negative effects on germination, with 52% and 36% of the Clermont and Toogoolawah seeds able to germinate at −0.60 MPa, respectively. Complete germination inhibition for both biotypes was observed at an osmotic potential of −1.2 MPa. Both biotypes also germinated at a very high sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration of 250 mM. A 50% reduction in germination of Toogoolawah and Clermont was caused by 99 and 154 mM NaCl, respectively. Germination of the Clermont biotype was not affected by a wide range of pH (4.0 to 10.0), whereas the strong acidic and alkaline pH levels (4.0 and 10.0) caused 18% and 25% reductions in germination of the Toogoolawah biotype compared with control. The Clermont biotype had a higher ability to germinate across all treatments compared with the Toogoolawah biotype, which might be a contributing factor toward the high invasive ability of the former compared with the latter.

Foxtail sophora is a widely distributed problematic weed in western Iranian dryland farming systems. Little information is available on seed germination and seedling emergence of this weed species in response to environmental and agronomic factors. This study was conducted to address this knowledge gap. Maximum seed germination (80%) occurred at 25 C and decreased at lower temperatures (<1% at 5 C) or under fluctuating temperature regimes. Light and pH did not have any substantial effect on seed germination. Foxtail sophora was tolerant to osmotic stress and moderately tolerant to sodium chloride. It was tolerant to salinity and drought stress during germination, which suggests that the population of this weed may increase in western farmlands of Iran. No seedlings emerged when seeds were buried at depths greater than 6 cm, which indicates that minimum- and no-till systems would increase seedling emergence of this species. Therefore, using sweep cultivators would be beneficial in management of foxtail sophora seedlings in the drylands of west of Iran.

The northern New England region includes the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine and encompasses a large degree of climate and edaphic variation across a relatively small spatial area, making it ideal for studying climate change impacts on agricultural weed communities. We sampled weed seedbanks and measured soil physical and chemical characteristics on 77 organic farms across the region and analyzed the relationships between weed community parameters and select geographic, climatic, and edaphic variables using multivariate procedures. Temperature-related variables (latitude, longitude, mean maximum and minimum temperature) were the strongest and most consistent correlates with weed seedbank composition. Edaphic variables were, for the most part, relatively weaker and inconsistent correlates with weed seedbanks. Our analyses also indicate that a number of agriculturally important weed species are associated with specific U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones, implying that future changes in climate factors that result in geographic shifts in these zones will likely be accompanied by changes in the composition of weed communities and therefore new management challenges for farmers.

Cover crop–based, organic rotational no-till (CCORNT) corn and soybean systems have been developed in the mid-Atlantic region to build soil health, increase management flexibility, and reduce labor. In this system, a roller-crimped cover crop mulch provides within-season weed suppression in no-till corn and soybean. A cropping system experiment was conducted in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware to test the cumulative effects of a multitactic weed management approach in a 3-yr hairy vetch/triticale–corn–cereal rye–soybean–winter wheat CCORNT rotation. Treatments included delayed planting dates (early, intermediate, late) and supplemental weed control using high-residue (HR) cultivation in no-till corn and soybean phases. In the no-till corn phase, HR cultivation decreased weed biomass relative to the uncultivated control by 58%, 23%, and 62% in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, respectively. In the no-till soybean phase, HR cultivation decreased weed biomass relative to the uncultivated treatment planted in narrow rows (19 to 38 cm) by 20%, 41%, and 78% in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, respectively. Common ragweed was more dominant in soybean (39% of total biomass) compared with corn (10% of total biomass), whereas giant foxtail and smooth pigweed were more dominant in corn, comprising 46% and 22% of total biomass, respectively. Common ragweed became less abundant as corn and soybean planting dates were delayed, whereas giant foxtail and smooth pigweed increased as a percentage of total biomass as planting dates were delayed. At the Pennsylvania location, inconsistent termination of cover crops with the roller-crimper resulted in volunteer cover crops in other phases of the rotation. Our results indicate that HR cultivation is necessary to achieve adequate weed control in CCORNT systems. Integration of winter grain or perennial forages into CCORNT systems will also be an important management tactic for truncating weed seedbank population increases.

Weed management strategies differ in their ability to control weeds, and often have unique agroecological implications. To provide growers with an improved sense of trade-offs between weed control and ecological effects, we implemented several prominent organic weed management strategies in yellow onion in 2014 and 2015. Strategies included cultivation of weed seedlings during the early, weed-sensitive “critical period” of the crop; frequent cultivation events to ensure “zero seed rain”; and weed suppression with polyethylene or natural mulches. As expected, end-of-season weed biomass and weed seed production were greatest in the critical period system and nearly zero for the zero seed rain system. Weeds were also well controlled in natural mulch systems. Average onion yield per treatment was 50.7 Mg ha−1. In 2014, the critical period system and the polyethylene mulch systems demonstrated yield loss, likely due to weed competition and excessive soil temperature, respectively. Onion soluble solids content was also diminished in these systems in 2014, but bulb firmness was greatest in unmulched systems. Carabid beetles, earthworms, soil compaction, soil nitrate, and microbial biomass were affected by weed management strategy, with natural-mulched systems generally performing most favorably. However, these effects were not substantial enough to affect yield of a subsequent sweet corn crop grown in weed-free conditions. In contrast, sweet corn managed with only early-season cultivations demonstrated yield loss (P=0.004) in plots where the critical period treatment was implemented the prior year, indicating that weed competition resulting from abundant weed seed production in that system was the most influential legacy effect of the weed management strategies.

Interest in planting mixtures of cover crop species has grown in recent years as farmers seek to increase the breadth of ecosystem services cover crops provide. As part of a multidisciplinary project, we quantified the degree to which monocultures and mixtures of cover crops suppress weeds during the fall-to-spring cover crop growing period. Weed-suppressive cover crop stands can limit weed seed rain from summer- and winter-annual species, reducing weed population growth and ultimately weed pressure in future cash crop stands. We established monocultures and mixtures of two legumes (medium red clover and Austrian winter pea), two grasses (cereal rye and oats), and two brassicas (forage radish and canola) in a long fall growing window following winter wheat harvest and in a shorter window following silage corn harvest. In fall of the long window, grass cover crops and mixtures were the most weed suppressive, whereas legume cover crops were the least weed suppressive. All mixtures also effectively suppressed weeds. This was likely primarily due to the presence of fast-growing grass species, which were effective even when they were seeded at only 20% of their monoculture rate. In spring, weed biomass was low in all treatments due to winter kill of summer-annual weeds and low germination of winter annuals. In the short window following silage corn, biomass accumulation by cover crops and weeds in the fall was more than an order of magnitude lower than in the longer window. However, there was substantial weed seed production in the spring in all treatments not containing cereal rye (monoculture or mixture). Our results suggest that cover crop mixtures require only low seeding rates of aggressive grass species to provide weed suppression. This creates an opportunity for other species to deliver additional ecosystem services, though careful species selection may be required to maintain mixture diversity and avoid dominance of winter-hardy cover crop grasses in the spring.

The effects of non-flooded plastic film mulching cultivation (PM) and polymer-coated urea (PCU) on rice yield, soil properties, and weed diversity were investigated in experimental plots of rice monoculture in Lanxi, China. The combination of PM and PCU increased rice yield. Compared with traditional flooded cultivation, under PM, soil pH remained higher, but decreased soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium in the 0- to 10-cm soil layer. Soil fertility influenced winter weed communities, with hairy bittercress, Asian mazus, and shortawn foxtail being the most abundant species. Multivariate analysis indicated that changes in the winter weed species diversity were primarily due to exchangeable potassium. PCU had no significant influence on weed diversity, while plots without nitrogen fertilizer had higher spring-germinating weed density.

Mulches used in plasticulture systems could decrease dissipation of fomesafen, a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor, and dissuade producers from using the herbicide for fear of crop injury in subsequent growing seasons. Field experiments were conducted in Balm, FL, in 2015 and 2016 to investigate the effect of different plastic mulches on fomesafen dissipation, squash tolerance, and efficacy on purple nutsedge. Squash was injured less than 5% from fomesafen applications. The use of plastic mulches reduced purple nutsedge density at transplant by 60% compared with the no-mulch treatment. At transplant, treatments with low-density polyethylene mulch (LDPE), virtually impermeable film (VIF), and totally impermeable film (TIF) mulch had greater than 2-fold the fomesafen concentrations than treatments with clear or no mulch. At harvest in 2015, LDPE, VIF, and TIF treatments had greater fomesafen concentrations than clear and no-mulch treatments; however, concentrations in 2016 were similar for all treatments. Fomesafen can persist at high concentrations throughout the growing season in Florida plasticulture possibly limiting producer options for crop rotation and the use of cover crops.