Twelve locations in the United States and Puerto Rico were the sites for determining the loss of 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine (atrazine) and 2,3,6-trichlorophenylacetic acid (fenac) from soil. The herbicides were contained in tubes (1.88 by 6 inches) placed at depths of 3, 9, and 15 inches in the field. The samples were placed horizontally to minimize losses due to vertical movement of water from the tubes. After at least 3 months in the soil, the samples were returned to Beltsville and analyzed. Average recoveries showed 61% more atrazine and 41% more fenac from the 15-inch depth than from the 3-inch depth. Five northern samples contained more than twice as much atrazine and fenac residue as four southern samples. A positive correlation existed between fenac retention and soil organic matter content. Increasing soil organic matter and depth of placement, and decreasing temperature, tended to make the herbicides more persistent. However, the data were quite variable and the variations were often unexplainable.

The toxicity of 2-chloro-4,6-bis(ethylamino)-s-triazine (simazine) and 2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isoproylamino-s-triazine (atrazine) to eight crops was determined. The crops in order of increasing tolerance to these herbicides were Southern Giant Curled mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Coss.), Missouri 0-205 oats, Straight Eight cucumbers (Cucurbita sativa L.), Knox wheat, Clark soybeans, RS610 grain sorghum, GT-112 inbred corn, and F-6 inbred corn. Inactivation of simazine and atrazine applied at 2 lb/A on field plots, as determined by soybean and oat bioassay, was most rapid when the soil environment was favorable for the growth of microorganisms. Very little inactivation occurred between September, 1960, and June, 1961, following a May, 1960 application. One year after application, 0.16 lb/A of atrazine and 0.31 lb/A of simazine were detected, but neither was detected after 16 months.

Yields of drill-seeded paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. ‘Lebonnet’) at optimum stands of 215 to 270 plants/m2 at Stuttgart, Arkansas, were reduced 9, 18, 20, and 36% by bearded sprangletop [Leptochloa fascicularis (Lam.) Gray] densities of 11, 22, 54, and 108 plants/m2, respectively. There was a linear decrease in rice grain yield of 21 kg/ha for each bearded sprangletop plant per square meter. Weed densities of 54 and 108 plants/m2 reduced head-rice yields (whole milled kernels) and a density of 108 plants/m2 reduced germination of rice seed. The number of bearded sprangletop panicles produced per weed plant decreased as the weed density increased.

Environmental legislation may impose limitations on the quantity of nitrogen (N) used in corn production on the basis of soil type and ground water flow. If N rates are reduced, this might influence the relative competitiveness of weed species. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to develop a surface response model to provide estimations of the effect of differing N rates on threshold values of green foxtail in corn and to use this model as a theoretical framework for hypothesis testing. Field experiments were conducted from 1999 to 2001 to examine the interaction of N rate and green foxtail density on corn grain yield. The experiment was designed as a two-factor factorial with N levels ranging from 0 to 200 kg N ha−1 and targeted green foxtail densities ranging from 0 to 300 green foxtail plants m−2. The addition of up to 200 kg N ha−1 increased corn grain yield in both weed-free and weedy treatments. Corn yield loss attributed to green foxtail ranged from 35 to 40% at 0 kg N ha−1 to 12 to 17% at 200 kg N ha−1. Ridge analysis of the response surfaces indicated that optimal corn grain yield could be achieved at derived values of 131 to 138 kg N ha−1 while maintaining a green foxtail density of 8 to 9 green foxtail plants m−2 on a sandy soil with less than 2% organic matter. The analyses of simulation results led to the generation of hypotheses of practical relevance to N management. On the basis of the generated hypotheses, a legislated reduction in N or an increase in the cost of N fertilizer would result in a lower threshold value for green foxtail in corn. If legislation were to ban the use of all herbicides in corn production, higher N rates or an increase in mechanical weed control measures would be required to offset yield losses caused by green foxtail. The human health and environmental consequences of such legislation would be significant.

Field studies were conducted at Rosemount, MN, in 1992 and 1993 to quantify the demographic processes regulating the population dynamics of velvetleaf in soybean as part of a corn-soybean rotation. A consistent 6.8 ± 0.5% of the total velvetleaf seedbank emerged each year. Less than 21% of all velvetleaf seedlings survived each year in mixture with soybean, due in part to Verticillium spp wilt infection. The probability of seedling survival varied across time of emergence. Velvetleaf seed production in the absence of crop competition was 125 and 227 seeds plant−1 in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Velvetleaf plants that emerged early produced greater numbers of seed than later emerging plants. Velvetleaf survival and seed production were reduced up to 82% in the presence of crop competition. Soybean yield varied across soybean densities in both years, but was not reduced across velvetleaf densities.

Seed production and seedling emergence of three broadleaf weed species were evaluated following glyphosate application at initial seed set, mid seed fill, and physiological maturity. In greenhouse experiments averaged across glyphosate rates of 0.42, 0.63, and 0.84 kg ae ha−1, Xanthium strumarium 100-bur weight and burs per plant were reduced at least 69 and 70%, respectively, for application at initial fruit set compared with later applications, and seedling emergence was 3% of the nontreated check. Glyphosate application at initial seed set reduced Sesbania exaltata 100-seed weight 73%, seed per plant 86%, and seedling emergence 94%. Senna obtusifolia 100-seed weight, seed per plant, and seedling emergence were reduced 46, 83, and 66%, respectively, when glyphosate was applied at initial seed set. In field experiments, X. strumarium and S. exaltata seed production were reduced only when glyphosate was applied at initial seed set. Compared with the nontreated check, seedling emergence following initial seed set application was reduced 82% for X. strumarium and 94% for S. exaltata. S. obtusifolia response in the field was inconsistent with no reductions in seed per plant or seedling emergence observed the first year. The second year, initial seed set application reduced seed per plant 88% and seedling emergence 72%.

An extensive search of the literature and records was conducted to determine when and how johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) was introduced into the United States. Previous authors surmised that johnsongrass was imported from the Mediterranean area, but my search revealed that no agriculturist from the United States had worked in the Mediterranean region before 1840. Although Dr. James B. Davis assisted the Turkish Empire in cotton culture in the 1840's, there is evidence that johnsongrass was grown throughout the Southeast by 1830 if not before. Documentation of the initial introduction and distribution was hampered by the use of more than 40 common names for this weed in the nineteenth century. At least eight different Latin names were used to identify johnsongrass in the 1800's. The use of johnsongrass as a common name on a national basis resulted from a letter written by Herbert Post of Selma, Alabama, in 1874 to George Vasey, an employee of the U. S. Department of Agriculture in Washington. In 1880, John Haralson of Selma, Alabama, wrote to D. L. Phares of Woodville, Mississippi, that johnsongrass was the common name used in his area. These letters were published in the Monthly Report of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and in Farmers Book of Grasses, respectively; the wide attention that these received resulted in the common name of johnsongrass. The name was derived from that of William Johnson, a farmer of Marion Junction, Alabama, who presumably introduced it into Alabama. By the late nineteenth century, the presence of johnsongrass was almost nationwide. Many reports testify to the severity of the problem caused by this weed in the late 1800's. Its pernicious nature led to the first Federal appropriation specifically for weed control in 1900, and to the first report on johnsongrass control, prepared by C. R. Ball in 1902.

Tolerance of species to foliar applications of the ethyl ester of chlorimuron as determined in greenhouse studies with 21-day-old seedlings was: soybean = peanut > prickly sida > sicklepod > Florida beggarweed > common cocklebur. Absorption of foliar-applied 14C-chlorimuron 72 h after application was similar in soybean, peanut, sicklepod, common cocklebur, and prickly sida, but much less in Florida beggarweed. Slight symplasmic and apoplasmic translocation of the herbicide was evident in all species. Metabolism of chlorimuron 72 h after application was greatest in soybean and least in common cocklebur. Species tolerance to chlorimuron was directly correlated (r2 = 0.93) to the amount of unmetabolized chlorimuron (dpm/g dry wt) in the plant. Peanut exhibited increased tolerance to chlorimuron with age; this result was attributed to reduced absorption and translocation and more extensive metabolism of the absorbed herbicide by older plants.

Field experiments were conducted near Blackville, SC, and Tifton, GA, in 2004 and 2005, to evaluate the effect of wild radish and rye cover crops on weed control and sweet corn yield when used in conjunction with lower-than-recommended herbicide rates. Cover crop treatments included wild radish, rye, and no cover crop, alone and in conjunction with half and full rates of atrazine (0.84 and 1.68 kg ai ha−1) plus S-metolachlor (0.44 and 0.87 kg ai ha−1) applied before sweet corn emergence. Florida pusley, large crabgrass, spreading dayflower, ivyleaf morningglory, and wild radish infested the test sites. Wild radish and rye cover crops without herbicides reduced total weed density by 35 and 50%, respectively, at 4 wk after planting (WAP). Wild radish in conjunction with the full rate of atrazine plus S-metolachlor controlled Florida pusley, large crabgrass, and ivyleaf morningglory better than rye or no cover crop treated with a full herbicide rate in 2004 at Blackville. In 2005, at Blackville, weed control in sweet corn following wild radish cover crop plots alone was not different from that following rye. Wild radish or rye in conjunction with a half or full rate of atrazine and S-metolachlor controlled > 95% Florida pusley, wild radish, and large crabgrass in sweet corn at Tifton during both years. Ten glucosinolates, potential allelopathic compounds, were identified in wild radish, including glucoiberin, progoitrin, glucoraphanin, glucoraphenin, glucosinalbin, gluconapin, glucotropaeolin, glucoerucin, glucobrassicin, and gluconasturtin. Sweet corn yields at Blackville and Tifton following wild radish or rye cover crops were similar between the half and full rates of atrazine plus S-metolachlor. Sweet corn in wild radish or rye cover crop plots without herbicides produced less-marketable ears than herbicide-treated plots, indicating that a combination of cover crops and herbicides are required to optimize yields and to obtain desirable weed control.

A population of common ragweed not controlled by an acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide, cloransulam-methyl, was sampled near Dunkirk, IN, the first year of the herbicide's commercialization in 1998. Resistance in the Dunkirk population was confirmed by treating greenhouse-grown seedlings with cloransulam-methyl. ALS activity assays and DNA sequencing were used to identify the resistance mechanism. ALS isolated from plants of the Dunkirk population exhibited an R/S ratio for cloransulam-methyl of >5,000 when compared to ALS activity of populations from Claire City, SD, and V & J Seed Farms. R/S ratios of 4,100 and 110 were observed for two other ALS-inhibiting herbicides, chlorimuron and imazaquin, respectively. DNA sequencing revealed that an inferred leucine for tryptophan substitution at amino acid position 574 in ALS was responsible for the observed herbicide resistance. Additionally, DNA sequencing revealed significant variability among common ragweed ALS alleles. Two fragments of ALS were sequenced from three plants each of the Claire City and Dunkirk populations, totaling 688 nucleotide base pairs, of which 72 were polymorphic.

Late watergrass is a serious weed of California rice that has evolved resistance to molinate, thiobencarb, fenoxaprop-ethyl, and bispyribac-sodium. To obtain an insight into the origin and spread of resistant (R) late watergrass in California rice fields, we evaluated similarities in morphological traits and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprints among 15 R strains compared with susceptible (S) strains. All strains were derived by inbreeding from accessions collected in rice fields of the Sacramento Valley, CA. In the field, R plants were shorter than S plants; they also had narrower and shorter flag leaves and thinner culms. Spikelets also appeared smaller and more slender in R plants. There was greater morphological similarity among the 15 R strains than among the eight S strains. The mean coefficients of variation for morphological traits were much smaller among R strains, which in a cluster analysis (Ward's method) were grouped morphologically apart at early clustering stages from the more variable S strains. AFLP electropherograms also showed greater similarity between R strains. R strains were grouped separately from the S strains in a cluster analysis based on calculated Nei and Li coefficients used in an unweighted pair group method using arithmetic means. However, small genetic differences also existed because the R strains were grouped into six clusters, suggesting that R strains were not samples from an identical strain. It was concluded that R strains originated from a preexisting and preadapted mutant late watergrass population in the Sacramento Valley. This study establishes that resistance moved by spikelet dispersal, not independent mutation events, most likely defined the geographical distribution of R late watergrass in California. Prevention and control of this dispersal combined with elimination of seed-producing survivors after herbicide treatment should be relevant components of the integrated management of herbicide-resistant late watergrass in California rice.

Responses of six morningglories (Ipomoea spp.) and two Cassia spp. to 13 preemergence applied herbicides were determined at two locations in southern Alabama. Pitted (I. lacunosa L.), cypressvine (I. quamoclit L.), and willowleaf morningglories (I. wrightii Gray) were readily controlled with metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazin-5(4H)-one]; entireleaf [I. hederacea (L.) Jacq. var. integriuscula Gray], tall [I. purpurea (L.) Roth.], and ivyleaf morningglories [I. hederacea (L.) Jacq.] were not controlled. Norflurazon [4-chloro-5-(methylamino)-2-(α,α,α-trifluoro-m-tolyl)-3(2H)-pyridazinone] controlled cypressvine morningglory, but did not adequately control the other morningglory species. Perfluidone {1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[2-methyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl] methanesulfonamide} gave acceptable control of cypressvine and willowleaf morningglories, but gave poor control of other morningglory species. Sicklepod (C. obtusifolia L.) was controlled better than coffee senna (C. occidentalis L.) with 2.2 kg/ha diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] and 2.2 kg/ha cyanazine {2-[[4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-s-triazin-2-yl]amino]-2-methylpropionitrile} controlled sicklepod better than coffee senna at one location each. Oxadiazon [2-tert-butyl-4-(2,4-dichloro-5-isopropoxyphenyl)-δ2-1,3,4-oxadiazolin-5-one] was more effective in controlling coffee senna than sicklepod. Induction of population shifts toward incidental species of these genera seems unlikely based on the herbicides included in these experiments. In most cases the incidental species were more readily controlled than the prominent weed species.

Wild radish is a major weed in winter grain crops in Australia. This weed is poorly controlled by glufosinate. Therefore, factors influencing glufosinate efficacy in this species were examined. Dose–response studies conducted with three populations of wild radish collected from different parts of Australia and one from Europe showed poor control of all populations by glufosinate under Australian winter conditions. Studies conducted in controlled environmental chambers under night/day temperatures of 5/10, 15/20, and 20/25 C and various light intensities demonstrated that wild radish grown under cooler temperatures of 5/10 C were poorly controlled with 1,200 g ai ha−1 glufosinate when the same rate was sufficient to cause 100% mortality under 15/20 and 20/25 C. Light intensity did not significantly influence glufosinate activity at low temperatures. However, under warm temperatures of 20/25 C, glufosinate efficacy was enhanced with low light intensities. Experiments examining absorption and translocation of glufosinate showed that temperature did not have a significant effect on absorption of glufosinate. However, basipetal translocation of glufosinate was greatly increased by higher temperatures. Therefore, the poor control of wild radish by glufosinate at low temperatures is probably because of reduced accumulation of glufosinate in the meristematic regions of the plant.

A field study was conducted in 1987 to 1991 to determine the effect of tillage and rainfall on distribution of atrazine in soil. Soil samples (10-cm increments to 50 cm) and crop residue samples were taken at regular intervals after application each year and analyzed for atrazine. Crop residue and living vegetation on no-till plots intercepted 60 to 70% of the applied atrazine; 3 to 16% of the atrazine remained in crop residue 1 to 2 wk later. The amount of atrazine recovered in soil, 1 to 2 wk posttreatment, ranged from 22 to 59 and 47 to 73% of the amount applied for no-till and conventional till, respectively. An average of 2.6 times more atrazine was recovered in the surface 10 cm of soil under conventional till than under no-till for all samplings and years. Total amounts of atrazine in the sampled profile (0- to 50-cm depth) were also generally lower under no-till than conventional till. More leaching below 10 cm occurred under no-till than conventional till, particularly in 1988 and 1990 when rain fell soon after application. Variation in soil atrazine levels among years was related to timing and amount of the first and subsequent rainfall after application.

In the field, surface applied cyanazine 2-[[4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-s-triazin-2-yl] amino]-2-methylpropionitrile and diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] did not move below 5 cm in a Monona silty clay loam (Typic Hapludoll) which received 20 cm of water over a 54-day period. In hand-packed soil columns in the laboratory, surface-applied diuron and cyanazine penetrated to depths of 10 and 20 cm, respectively, when leached over a comparable time period and with amounts of water similar to that used in the field. Soil thin layer chromatography and adsorption isotherm studies showed that diuron was adsorbed more strongly than was cyanazine. In general, both compounds were degraded more rapidly at the higher temperatures when incubated at 5, 20, 35, and 50 C over a 20-week period. Degradation was slowest at 5 C in a Valentine loamy fine sand (Typic Ustipsamment). Diuron appeared to break down most readily at 35 C. Cyanazine was usually decomposed by the 10th week at 5 C and the 5th week at higher temperatures.

Glyphosate treatments to glyphosate-resistant (GR) cotton can cause increased fruit loss compared with untreated plants, likely due to reductions in pollen viability and alterations in floral morphology that may reduce pollination efficiency. This study was conducted to determine whether both stamen and pistil are affected by glyphosate treatments by measuring seed set from reciprocal reproductive crosses made between glyphosate-treated GR, untreated GR, and conventional nontransgenic cotton. Pollen viability was 51 and 38% lower for the first and second week of flowering, respectively, in GR plants treated with a four-leaf postemergence (POST) treatment and an eight-leaf POST-directed treatment of glyphosate than in GR plants that were not treated. Seed set per boll was significantly reduced when the pollen donor parent was glyphosate treated vs. untreated for the first 2 wk of flowering. There were no significant differences between treatments applied to male parents as measured by seed set at Weeks 3 and 4 of flowering. Seed set was not influenced by glyphosate treatments applied to female parents at any time. Retention of bolls resulting from crosses was reduced by glyphosate treatment of male parents during the first and third week of flowering but was not affected by glyphosate treatment of female parents. The application of gibberellic acid (GA), which has been shown to reverse male sterility in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) and to enhance boll retention in cotton, was investigated for similar effects in glyphosate-treated GR cotton. The GA treatments to glyphosate-treated plants increased the anther–stigma distance 12-fold, stigma height, and pollen viability in the second week of flowering but decreased the number of seeds in second-position bolls on Fruiting branches 1 through 3, decreased the number of first-position bolls per plant, and increased the number of squares in comparison with glyphosate-treated GR plants not receiving GA. Although GA applications to glyphosate-treated GR cotton have some remedial effect on pollen viability, the GA-induced increase in the anther–stigma difference exacerbates the increase in anther–stigma distance caused by glyphosate, resulting in low pollination.

Waterhemp is an increasingly problematic weed in the U.S. Midwest, having now evolved resistances to herbicides from six different site-of-action groups. Glyphosate-resistant waterhemp in the Midwest is especially concerning given the economic importance of glyphosate in corn and soybean production. Amplification of the target-site gene, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) was found to be the mechanism of glyphosate resistance in Palmer amaranth, a species closely related to waterhemp. Here, the relationship between glyphosate resistance and EPSPS gene amplification in waterhemp was investigated. Glyphosate dose response studies were performed at field sites with glyphosate-resistant waterhemp in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Nebraska, and relative EPSPS copy number of survivors was determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Waterhemp control increased with increasing glyphosate rate at all locations, but no population was completely controlled even at the highest rate (3,360 g ae ha−1). EPSPS gene amplification was present in plants from four of five locations (Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) and the proportion of plants with elevated copy number was generally higher in survivors from glyphosate-treated plots than in plants from the untreated control plots. Copy number magnitude varied by site, but an overall trend of increasing copy number with increasing rate was observed in populations with gene amplification, suggesting that waterhemp plants with more EPSPS copies are more resistant. Survivors from the Kentucky population did not have elevated EPSPS copy number. Instead, resistance in this population was attributed to the EPSPS Pro106Ser mutation. Results herein show a quantitative relationship between glyphosate resistance and EPSPS gene amplification in some waterhemp populations, while highlighting that other mechanisms also confer glyphosate resistance in waterhemp.

Itchgrass is a weed of many crops throughout the tropics and one of the most important grass weeds of rainfed rice. Experiments were conducted in the laboratory and screenhouse to determine the effects of light, alternating day/night temperatures, high temperature pretreatment, water stress, seed burial depth, and rice residue on seed germination and seedling emergence of itchgrass in the Philippines. Two populations were evaluated and the results were consistent for both populations. Germination in the light/dark regime was greater at alternating day/night temperatures of 25/15 C than at 35/25, 30/20, or 20/10 C. Light was not a requirement for germination, but a light/dark regime increased germination by 96%, across temperature and population. A 5-min high temperature pretreatment for 50% inhibition of maximum itchgrass germination ranged from 145 to 151 C with no germination when seeds were exposed to ≥ 180 C. The osmotic potential required for 50% inhibition of maximum germination was −0.6 MPa for itchgrass, although some seeds germinated at −0.8 MPa. Seedling emergence was greatest for seeds placed on the soil surface, and emergence declined with increasing soil burial depth; no seedlings emerged from seeds buried at 10 cm. The addition of rice residue to soil surface in pots at rates equivalent to 4 to 6 Mg ha−1 reduced itchgrass seedling emergence. Since seedling emergence was greatest at shallow depths and germination was stimulated by light, itchgrass may become a problem in systems where soil is cultivated at shallow depths. Knowledge gained in this study could contribute to developing components of integrated weed management strategies for itchgrass.

Palmer amaranth is resistant to several herbicides, including glyphosate, and there is concern that the resistance traits can be transferred between spatially segregated populations via pollen movement. The objective of this study was to describe the physical properties of Palmer amaranth pollen, specifically size, density, and settling velocity (Vs), that influence pollen flight. The mean diameter for Palmer amaranth pollen, as determined by light microscopy, was 31 µm (range of 21 to 38 µm); mean pollen diameter as measured with the use of an electronic particle sizer was 27 µm (range of 21 to 35 µm). The mean density of the solid portion of the pollen grain was 1,435 kg m−3. Accounting for the density of the aqueous fraction, the mean density of a fully hydrated pollen grain was 1,218 kg m−3. By Stokes's law, the estimated mean theoretical Vs for individual Palmer amaranth pollen grains was 3.4 cm s−1 for the range of pollen diameters with a mean of 31 µm and 2.6 cm s−1 for the range of pollen diameters with a mean of 27 µm. Results from laboratory studies indicated the majority of single pollen grains settled at a rate of 5.0 cm s−1. The difference between the theoretical and empirical estimates of Vs was likely due to changes in pollen density and shape postanthesis, which are not accounted for using Stokes's law, as well as the presence pollen clusters.

The incidence of weed resistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides has increased in the United States. In 1993, a population of ALS-resistant common waterhemp was discovered after two confirmed applications of an imidazolinone herbicide. Following another imazethapyr application in the glasshouse, the resistant biotype demonstrated 130-fold resistance to imazethapyr at the whole plant level. The concentration of imazethapyr required to inhibit the ALS activity by 50% was 520 times greater for the resistant biotype than the susceptible. Plants also demonstrated cross-resistance to the sulfonylureas, chlorimuron and thifensulfuron, at the whole plant and enzyme levels. This particular discovery is of concern due to the low number of applications of the selection agent (imazaquin 1989, imazethapyr 1992, and imazethapyr in the greenhouse) and the high degree of cross-resistance eliminating several options for weed control.