A mixture of bermudagrass with creeping bentgrass on golf greens results in a poor putting surface. An experiment was conducted to determine the frequency of herbicides applied alone or with flurprimidol on growth suppression of three bermudagrass cultivars and on tolerance of creeping bentgrass. Ethofumesate plus flurprimidol applied initially in mid-March or early April at 1.7 + 0.8 kg ha−1 and followed by four applications of 0.4 + 0.2 kg ha−1 beginning 6 wk later and then at 3-wk intervals, effectively suppressed bermudagrass growth throughout the growing season regardless of cultivar. Creeping bentgrass treated with ethofumesate plus flurprimidol at 1.7 + 0.8 kg ai ha−1 caused > 30% injury for 3 to 4 wk following application in 2 of 3 yr, but the turfgrass fully recovered. Injury was < 30% when ethofumesate plus flurprimidol was applied as repeated applications at 0.4 + 0.2 kg ha−1. Siduron plus flurprimidol applied initially in March or April at 54 + 0.8 kg ai ha−1 and followed by four additional applications at 14 + 0.2 kg ha−1 did not effectively suppress bermudagrass growth. Results with siduron alone at 54 kg ha−1 in March or April and repeated at monthly intervals at the same rate throughout the summer were similar to that obtained with siduron plus flurprimidol. Fenoxaprop applied at 0.07 kg ai ha−1 in early April and repeated at monthly intervals through August at the same rate effectively suppressed growth of common bermudagrass but did not suppress growth of Tifway or Tifgreen bermudagrasses. Creeping bentgrass was severely injured following fenoxaprop treatments.

Tolerance of barley to chlorsulfuron at various stages of crop development was studied in weed-free field and pot experiments. Five barley crops were sown between mid-May and mid-July in the field in 1988 and sprayed simultaneously with four rates of chlorsulfuron when the corresponding stages of crop development ranged from growth stage 7 (GS 7) to GS 31. Early-sown barley yielded more than late-sown barley, but percent grain yield reduction from chlorsulfuron was similar for all planting dates. In a field experiment in 1989, barley was sown at three dates (May, June, and July) and each was treated with chlorsulfuron at 0, 15, 30, and 60 g ai ha−1 at either GS 12 or GS 15. Grain yield of barley sown in May and treated with 15 g ha−1 chlorsulfuron at GS 12 was reduced 35%, compared with no effect when applied at GS 15; this yield reduction was related to spike size and number. Application of chlorsulfuron at GS 12 and GS 15 to barley sown in June caused yield reductions of 20 and 11%, respectively. In contrast, barley sown in mid-July was not affected by chlorsulfuron. Applications of chlorsulfuron at GS 12,13,14, and 15 led to reductions of 75,35,15, and 5% shoot dry matter (DM) of plants grown in pots and measured at GS 33. Root DM was more sensitive to chlorsulfuron than shoot DM. Tolerance of barley to chlorsulfuron increased with age of the plant at the time of application.

Experiments were conducted on a Cedarbluff silt loam and a Cecil sandy loam to determine dissipation of imazaquin and imazethapyr as influenced by burning small-grain straw and tillage prior to soybean planting. Corn bioassay detection limits for imazaquin and imazethapyr in the Cedarbluff silt loam were 2.5 to 30 and 5 to 40 ppbw, respectively. Bioassay detection limits for imazaquin and imazethapyr in the Cecil sandy loam were 2.5 to 20 and 10 to 40 ppbw, respectively. Imazaquin and imazethapyr activity was not detectable in soil by 110 to 152 d after treatment. Imazethapyr dissipation was not affected by burning or tillage in the Cedarbluff silt loam and dissipated more slowly in 1989 than imazaquin. Imazaquin dissipation in the Cedarbluff silt loam in 1988 was slower in burned plots than in nonburned plots but was not affected by burning in 1989. No differences were observed between imazaquin and imazethapyr dissipation in the Cecil sandy loam and neither burning or tillage influenced their rate of dissipation in either year. No-till-planted cotton was injured at both locations by imazaquin and imazethapyr that had been applied the previous year.

A large-scale continuous system for recovery of root exudates from millet and cowpea was developed and tested extensively. Large quantities of germination stimulants were exuded into the medium flowing through the plant trays, which could be demonstrated by germination of seeds of three species of angiospermous parasitic plants, Alectra vogelii, Striga gesneriodes, and witchweed. Recovery of root exudates was affected by adsorption on the macroreticular polymer resin XAD-4 followed by desorption with methanol. Furthermore, indications were found that germination inhibitors are released into the medium. Subsequent testing confirmed the quantitative release of the germination stimulants as well as a large number of other compounds.

Studies were established in 1988, 1989, and 1990 at two locations in Missouri to study the influence of fall tillage and herbicides on carryover of several residual soybean herbicides to grass and legume forage crops. Chlorimuron, clomazone, imazaquin, imazethpyr, and metribuzin plus chlorimuron were applied at their registered and 2X-registered rates in soybeans. Forage crops were planted the following fall and spring after herbicide application and evaluated for carryover effects. Fall tillage did not influence the carryover potential of these herbicides. However, herbicides injured several of the rotational crops. This injury was crop species and herbicide specific.

Yellow and purple nutsedge and southern root-knot nematode are common pests in intensively managed chile pepper production. Greenhouse studies were conducted to identify relationships among nutsedge species, chile peppers, and root-knot nematode. All practical combinations of the plant species and nematodes were grown together in pots for 14 wk. Both nutsedges and root-knot nematode reduced chile pepper height over time with no interaction. Competition from purple nutsedge or either nutsedge species plus nematodes reduced chile pepper top weight more than yellow nutsedge or nematodes alone. All pest combinations reduced chile pepper root weight. Chile pepper and nematodes individually reduced rates of shoot production, as well as top and belowground weights of yellow and purple nutsedge. Chile pepper and purple and yellow nutsedge hosted root-knot nematode host race 3. Nematode egg production was greater on chile pepper roots than on either nutsedge species. Purple nutsedge growing with chile pepper increased nematode production g−1 of chile pepper root. Purple nutsedge grown with chile pepper was the most detrimental for chile pepper growth, but most efficient for maintaining the root-knot nematode population on the least amount of root biomass. Since root-knot nematode infests yellow and purple nutsedge, and few nematicides are available for nematode control, root-knot nematode cannot be managed with crop rotation if nutsedge is not controlled.