Field studies were conducted in 1993–1994 and 1994–1995 to evaluate the effects of preherbicide mowing and herbicide rate on tropical soda apple (TSA) control. Mature TSA plants were mowed one, two, or three times to a 7.5-cm stubble with a 60-d interval between mowings. Triclopyr was applied at 0, 0.6, and 1.1 kg ai/ha at 375 L/ha at 207 kPa 60 d after each mowing treatment. Mowing TSA plants twice before an application of 0.6 kg ai/ha triclopyr resulted in 100% control. Tropical soda apple control (2-yr average) for the triclopyr treatment increased between one (28% control) and two (82% control) preherbicide mowings, with no additional control benefits from three mowings (84% control). In a second study, TSA control increased from 10% 60 d after a single mowing to 92% after three consecutive mowings at 60-d intervals with no herbicide. Total nonstructural carbohydrates in TSA crowns decreased from 19.1% for unclipped plants to 4.3% 60 d after three preherbicide mowings.

Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to evaluate herbicidal efficacy on tropical soda apple and bahiagrass. Acifluorfen, clopyralid, dicamba, fluroxypyr, picloram, and triclopyr were the most effective postemergence herbicides, providing > 90% control of tropical soda apple plants with no injury to bahiagrass 145 days after treatment (DAT). Glyphosate and imazapyr resulted in effective (> 90%) control of both seedling and mature tropical soda apple plants. However, these herbicides caused severe (> 90%) damage to bahiagrass. Control of tropical soda apple with 2,4-D, AC-263,222, diuron, fomesafen, lactofen, MSMA, sulfometuron, and triasulfuron was unacceptable (> 90%).

Tropical soda apple (TSA) was evaluated for response to 28 herbicide treatments. Treatments containing picloram or triclopyr controlled eight-leaf, 16-leaf, and 1-yr-old TSA greater than 90% 8 wk after treatment (WAT). Control of 1-yr-old TSA did not increase 8 WAT when triclopyr was mixed in diesel fuel rather than water. In greenhouse additive interference experiments, populations of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 TSA plants/700 cm2 of tall fescue had no effect on tall fescue height. TSA height was affected by TSA population, and intraspecific TSA competition was expressed as etiolation at densities greater than 4 plants/700 cm2. Averaged over five periods of competition, predicted yield losses of tall fescue were 14, 16, 29, and 31% and 1, 11, 19, and 23% for 8, 16, 32, and 64 TSA plants/700 cm2, respectively, for each experiment. Differences in tall fescue dry matter response between experiments were attributed to ambient temperature. Dry matter per individual TSA plant decreased from 1.7 to 0.3 g as TSA density increased from 1 to 64 plants/700 cm2. Percent canopy coverage of TSA relative to an area of 700-cm2 surface increased proportionally as tall fescue coverage decreased. After 10 wk of competition, TSA monopolized the canopy with coverage of 92 and 94%; tall fescue coverage was limited to only 7 and 5% in experiments I and II, respectively.

Experiments were conducted between 2002 and 2004 at multiple locations in Florida to determine the efficacy of aminopyralid and other herbicides on tropical soda apple (TSA) control. Aminopyralid applied at rates ≥0.08 kg ai/ha consistently provided >96% TSA control up to 335 d after treatment (DAT), while applications <0.06 kg/ha were less effective as well as inconsistent. Control of TSA with aminopyralid was often not statistically different from control with triclopyr, picloram, or dicamba. However, these responses were likely due to the variability in TSA control by triclopyr, picloram, or dicamba across several locations. For example, the standard error of the mean for TSA control with picloram at 335 DAT was 8, compared to 1 for aminopyralid. Herbicides were applied in April, January, and June, but time of year did not affect the efficacy of aminopyralid. Aminopyralid possesses soil residual activity and controlled 98% of germinating seedlings at 75 DAT, compared to 0% control for triclopyr or 2,4-D + dicamba. Therefore, aminopyralid controlled TSA from foliar applications and soil residual activity more consistently than any other herbicide evaluated in these experiments.