Cloransulam-methyl applied postemergence (POST) following various preplant-incorporated (PPI) herbicides was evaluated in four experiments for weed control in North Carolina soybean over a 2-yr period at three locations. Acifluorfen plus bentazon or chlorimuron alone applied POST injured soybean more than cloransulam-methyl when following any soil-applied herbicide. When following trifluralin PPI, cloransulam-methyl controlled common ragweed, entireleaf morningglory, and pitted morningglory comparable to acifluorfen plus bentazon or chlorimuron. Common lambsquarters and prickly sida control was higher when acifluorfen plus bentazon was applied POST following trifluralin PPI compared to trifluralin PPI followed by cloransulam-methyl or chlorimuron. Acifluorfen plus bentazon or chlorimuron POST controlled yellow nutsedge and smooth pigweed more than cloransulam-methyl POST when following trifluralin PPI. When trifluralin was applied PPI in mixtures with chlorimuron plus metribuzin, flumetsulam, or imazaquin, control of most species was similar regardless of POST treatment used. Soybean treated with cloransulam-methyl yielded 250 kg/ha more than treatments with chlorimuron when these herbicides followed trifluralin plus flumetsulam or trifluralin plus imazaquin. Net returns with different herbicide systems followed trends similar to soybean yield.

Field experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate the tolerance of imidazolinone-resistant (IR) and non-IR corn cultivars to preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) treatments of diclosulam. Crop injury was evaluated early- (5 to 6 wk after planting [WAP]), mid- (10 to 11 WAP), and late-season (13 to 15 WAP). Early-season injury of IR corn was no more than 12% in systems that included diclosulam PRE or POST at 18, 27, or 36 g ai/ha. Early-season injury of non-IR corn ranged from 85 to 89% in systems that included diclosulam PRE at any rate. At the mid-season evaluation, crop injury to IR corn was 1% or less. Non-IR corn was injured 73 to 94% in systems that included diclosulam PRE, while systems that included diclosulam POST caused 45 to 58% injury at mid-season. At the late-season evaluation, non-IR corn was injured 56, 88, and 96% with diclosulam PRE at 18, 27, and 36 g/ha, respectively, whereas systems that included diclosulam POST had 11 to 14% injury. Injury to IR corn from diclosulam PRE or POST was not apparent at the late-season evaluation. Weed-free yield of IR corn treated with diclosulam was 6,490 to 6,850 kg/ha and was equivalent to or better than yield from IR corn treated only with atrazine plus metolachlor PRE. Yield from non-IR corn treated with any diclosulam-containing system did not exceed 3,770 kg/ha.