Dwarf spikerush [Eleocharis coloradoensis (Britt.) Gilly] is an aquatic plant that will displace waterweeds. It was studied to obtain information that will help to manage unwanted vegetation in natural aquatic situations. The morphology of seed and tubers was examined at the light- and scanning-electron microscope levels. Inflorescences were found to bear 3 to 12 florets that matured acropetally. The pericarp was made up largely of rows of annulated cells covered with a water-soluble, waxlike substance that leached away when stored in water at 4 to 6 C. The seed coat consisted of three layers. Each layer contained lipids, giving evidence that they were composed of cutin. When the seed germinated, the cotyledonary sheath emerged first, followed by the culms. Tubers formed and matured in about 30 days. The shoot apices of tubers each had two buds that were protected by five to seven overlapping membraneous leaf scales. When tubers sprouted the longest bud grew first. The second bud contained the culm meristem.

The combination of salts at the approximate ratio found in saline irrigation water, (NaCl 41.9 mM, CaCl2 20.9 mM, and MgCl2.6H2O 10.5 mM), with either 1 mM EPTC (S-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate) or 0.1 mM CDEC (2-chloroallyl diethyldithiocarbamate) induced a greater reduction of root length, shoot length, and fresh weight of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ‘VF-315’) relative to either factor alone. The osmotic pressure of this salt solution is 0.40 MPa (mega Pascal), which is equivalent to 4.0 bar or ca. 4.0 atm. Similar results were found in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. ‘Great Lakes–659’) using salts at 0.30 MPa (NaCl 31.4 mM, CaCl2 15.7 mM, and MgCl2.6H2O 7.3 mM) combined with either 0.75 mM EPTC or 0.2 mM CDEC. In tomato, the inhibition was additive for each parameter measured. In lettuce, however, the effect on fresh weight and shoot length was synergistic and the effect on root length was additive. Calcium chloride was the single salt component of the mixture, which when combined with either EPTC or CDEC, induced a significant reduction of root length, shoot length, and fresh weight in tomato relative to either factor alone. No additional reduction in growth was found in lettuce when each individual salt was combined with either EPTC or CDEC.

The influence of calcium arsenate (48% w/w tricalcium arsenate) rate, physical form, time of application, and phosphorus (P) rate on the growth of annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) and Bray P1 extractable arsenic (As) were investigated. Both powder and granular formulations reduced clipping yields and enhanced extractable As levels. Higher initial soil As activity and significantly better control were obtained in one study when the powder formulation was used. Similar levels of control were achieved whether the As was applied prior to germination or to the mature turf. Soil P-levels did not influence the effectiveness of either As formulation.

The relationships between the actual amount of spring-applied trifluralin detected in soil at seeding, initial injury to flax, and crop growth and yield were investigated in southern Manitoba over three growing seasons. As the amount of trifluralin in the soil increased, flax density and dry matter production decreased, such that at a soil concentration equivalent to 1 kg ai ha−1 trifluralin, the two were reduced by 40 and 49%, respectively. Recovery from early-season injury was characterized by enhanced crop growth rates (CGRs) and net assimilation rates (NARs) of surviving plants during the remainder of the growing season. Maximum recovery occurred in plots where trifluralin levels in the soil were between 0.8 and 1 kg ha−1 at seeding. During the interval between stem elongation and bud initiation, CGRs and NARs of flax in the trifluralin-treated plots exceeded those of flax in the untreated plots by up to 1.5 and 1.2 times, respectively. Additionally, the number of branches per plant increased linearly as trifluralin amounts in the soil increased. Flax seed yield was decreased by trifluralin as described by the equation: flax seed (% of untreated control) = 104.9 - 13.3[trifluralin detected (kg ha−1) at seeding]. Based on this equation, trifluralin levels in the soil of up to 0.7 kg ai ha−1 caused less than a 5% reduction in flax yield under weed-free conditions.

Thirty variously substituted benzonitriles and derivatives applied at equimolar exponential rates were evaluated for their phytotoxic properties in nutrient solution. The order of activity of the variously substituted benzonitriles and derivatives was dissimilar to the benzoic acids and phenoxyalkylcarboxylic acids. Several of the materials evaluated were as active as, or more active than 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile [dichlobenil]; namely, the 2,6-dibromobenzonitrile, 2,6-dichloro-β-benzaldoximeacetate, 2-bromo-6-chlorobenzonitrile, 2,3,4-trichlorobenzonitrile, and 2,3,5-trichlorobenzonitrile.

International challenges in any field of science occur only from time to time. On occasions where the development of mankind is seriously endangered due to constraints of one kind or another, the ground for the germination of such challenges may be particularly fertile.

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.) on roadsides was controlled by 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram), (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), and (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4,5-T), alone and in combination at various rates. There was no synergistic or additive effect, as determined by Canada thistle response, due to the addition of 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T to picloram. Control with ¾ lb/A picloram was not significantly less than that obtained with higher rates 1½ and 2 lb/A. Picloram reduced Canada thistle stands 80 to 100% and 2,4-D generally reduced the plant population 50% or less during the year of application and the year after. Late summer appeared to be an opportune time for spraying Canada thistle with ¾ to 1 lb/A picloram.

The differential tolerance of prickly sida (Sida spinosa L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to methazole [2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazolidine-3,5-dione]was studied under greenhouse conditions. Methazole at dosages up to 8.96 kg/ha did not affect emergence of either species. Applications via nutrient solution, as well as preemergence and postemergence (over-the-top) treatments were phytotoxic to both species, becoming more pronounced with increasing concentration and time. However, a margin of selectivity between species occurred at dosages from 0.56 to 3.36 kg/ha preemergence. Directed sprays of methazole were not injurious to cotton. Selectivity would be influenced by plant size and method of application as well as biochemical differences between species.

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L.) plants containing one elongated and one recently emerged shoot from the same root segment were treated with 14C-ring labeled atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine]. Fourteen days after atrazine application to the elongated shoot 98% of the recovered activity remained in this shoot. The distribution pattern of 14C suggested movement with the transpiration stream. Of the 14C in the treated shoot, 82% was in the form of unaltered atrazine at 14 days after application. Greenhouse studies with nonlabeled atrazine indicated that this herbicide had only an indirect effect on portions of the plant located basipetally to the area of application.

Greenhouse benches and pots were specially designed to facilitate herbicide research on plants. Four 0.8-cm risers were added to the bottom of polyethylene pots to improve drainage after subirrigation or surface watering. A rule die was made to punch out paper discs needed to cover the holes in the bottom of the pots to prevent soil loss during watering or drainage. Flat, level greenhouse tables with a 3-cm hinged side around the edges, were covered with 2-mm polyethylene sheeting to facilitate water retention when the side was in the up position during subirrigation and subsequent drainage of water when the side was down. Much time was saved and the soil was watered more uniformly by this system. Economics dictated discarding pots after herbicide experiments rather than incurring the expense of washing them and risking contamination of subsequent experiments.

Weed management during spring crop production in eastern Washington presents many challenges. Many spring crops are weak competitors with weeds. In May of 2010 and 2011, two spring crop trials were initiated near Pullman, WA, to compare the relative competitiveness of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.), and pea (Pisum sativum L.) using cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) as a surrogate for wild oat (Avena fatua L.) competition. The experiment was arranged as a split-block split-plot design with four replications. One set of main plots included three oat density treatments (0, 63, and 127 plants m−2), while a second set included each crop species. Crop species main plots were then split into subplots of two different seeding rates (recommended and doubled). Crop populations decreased as oat density increased and increased as crop seeding rate increased. As oat density increased, preharvest crop biomass decreased for all crops, while oat biomass and yield increased. Oat biomass and yield were greater in legume plots compared with cereal plots. Increasing oat density decreased yields for all crops, whereas doubling crop seeding rate increased yields for barley and wheat in 2010 and barley in 2011. Compared with legumes, cereals were taller, produced more biomass, and were more competitive with oat.

Mortality rates of Geyer larkspur (Delphinium geyeri Greene), a poisonous plant, were determined after spraying with (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid at various stages of plant development in 1967 to 1969. Sprays of 2,4-D at 2.2 kg/ha were more effective at early than at late stages of development, but seldom exceeded 40% mortality. Uneven-aged stands and early drying (dormancy) of small non-flowering plants often prevented the exposure of all plants to a single application of spray; treated plants contorted but continued growth for 5 to 8 weeks after spraying; residual seed provided a source of new plants; and previously dormant rootstock buds gave rise to new shoot and root growth the year after spraying. These characteristics and escape mechanisms direct attention to possibilities of improving effectiveness by spraying two or three times in a single season.

Anecdotal observations of improved glyphosate efficacy on glyphosate-resistant (GR) tall waterhemp populations in corn production compared with soybean suggested the presence of nitrogen (N) fertilizer may influence the expression of glyphosate resistance. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine the influence of soil-applied nitrogen fertilizer on the growth rate and sensitivity of glyphosate-susceptible (GS) and GR tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth. The addition of supplemental fertilizer increased the relative growth rate (plant height and shoot volume), number of nodes, and percentage of shoot nodes with axillary branches on GS and GR biotypes of both weed species. The axillary bud activity was increased 52 and 8% with increasing N for the GR and GS biotypes of tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, respectively. The GS populations of tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth were more sensitive to glyphosate in the greenhouse under increased fertilizer levels compared with no fertilizer. Additionally, GR tall waterhemp was more sensitive to glyphosate under the higher fertilizer treatments, which resulted in a reduction in the calculated resistance factor (RF) from 27.8 under no fertilizer to 4.7 for the high fertilizer treatment. The RF for GR Palmer amaranth was not influenced by the fertilizer treatments in the greenhouse. Field experiments demonstrated that glyphosate efficacy may be greater on GR populations of tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth under high N conditions, but these results were not consistent and most likely were influenced by soil moisture in 2012, which was more limiting than N supply. This research implies that soil fertility can influence the sensitivity of some GR weed species to glyphosate and the RF. Therefore, the evolution and management of GR weed species in commercial crop production may be influenced by the nutrient status of the soil and the use of supplemental fertilizers.

Experiments were conducted in the field and controlled-environment chambers to determine wild oat (Avena fatua L. # AVEFA) control with difenzoquat (1,2-dimethyl-3,5-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolium) as influenced by applications at 4-h intervals during the day. Difenzoquat phytotoxicity was significantly higher in four of the six field experiments when applied at 1300 and 1700 h than at other times and was increased in the other two experiments. Difenzoquat phytotoxicity increased with temperature at treatment in the field experiments. Wild oat control was not increased by 8 h of 28 C before or after difenzoquat application compared to a constant 18 C in controlled-environment chambers. In controlled-environment chambers, wild oat control with difenzoquat was not influenced by the time of application during the day when humidity and temperature were kept constant.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. ‘Vernal′) was seeded broadcast or in drill rows spaced 18 cm apart in the same operation that EPTC (S-ethyl dipropylcarbamothioate) was applied. For broadcast seeding, EPTC was applied as herbicide-treated crop seed, as granules mixed with crop seed, or as granules applied with the crop seed, but with the seed and granules carried in separate boxes on the seeder. For drill-row seeding, EPTC was applied between the rows in subsurface lines as a liquid or granular formulation; and within the rows as herbicide-treated seed, as granules mixed with the seed, or as granules carried in a box separate from the seed. Weed control and crop tolerance with the more effective simultaneous applications of EPTC were similar to those with conventional preplant-incorporated applications. To seed alfalfa (either broadcast or in drill rows) and apply EPTC in one operation, the methods wherein untreated seed and a granular formulation of EPTC were applied together but from separate boxes on the seeder were the most practical, because the mechanical components, the seed, and the formulated herbicide are all commercially available.

Night applications of phenoxy herbicides on plains pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha Haw.) resulted in more plants being killed than comparable day applications. Night applications gave rapid herbicidal responses that were negated by the second year if chemical concentrations were too high. With low herbicide concentrations (½ and 1 lb aehg) effectiveness increased with proportion of diesel oil in carrier. The ester forms of 2-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propionic acid (silvex) killed more plants than did the ester or amine forms of (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4,5-T) in diesel oil:water (1:4, v/v) carriers.

The growth retardant activity of MBR 18337 {N-[4-(ethylthio)-2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-methanesulfonamide} was determined by injection into bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Black Valentine’), California privet seedlings (Ligustrum ovalifolium Hassk.), and saplings of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.). Height and leaf expansion of bean were inhibited by 8 μg of MBR 18337 per plant in growth chamber studies. Sprout growth of California privet grown in the greenhouse was inhibited for 92 days by 80 μg of MBR 18337 per tree, and the growth in the field of ash and maple saplings was retarded by 3.2 mg of MBR 18337 per tree for an entire growing season with little injury. Radioassays for 14C-MBR 18337 indicated rapid translocation of 14C-activity in privet from the lower stem to the region of the apical shoot. More than 80% of the MBR 18337 in the xylem and phloem was oxidized within 14 days.