In Oklahoma, downy brome and cheat are difficult-to-control winter annual grasses. In the past, cheat infested most of the winter wheat hectares harvested in Oklahoma. Biotypes that are cross-resistant to acetolactate synthase–inhibiting herbicides have left growers with minimal management options for conventional and herbicide-tolerant systems. Field trials near Lahoma, Oklahoma, in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 evaluated integrated management of cheat and downy brome using three strategies: planting date (optimal, delayed, and late), cultivar selection (high and low competitiveness), and herbicide choice (no herbicide, sulfosulfuron at 35.2 g ai ha−1 and pyroxsulam at 18.4 g ai ha−1). Visual control, weed species present, wheat biomass at heading, and grain yield data were collected. In 2019–2020, 8 to 9 wk after treatment, visual control increased by 15% with the delayed planting compared with the optimal planting date and 14% with the late planting date. In 2020–2021, similar control (∼99%) was recorded for delayed and late plantings with 23% greater control than the optimal timing. Due to a lack of weed coverage, weed biomass in 2019–2020 had no response to planting date, cultivar, or herbicide treatment. Downy brome biomass during 2020–2021 was approximately 90% lower with delayed to late planting dates than the optimal planting date. In the same year, downy brome and cheat biomass were low (≤0.4 and 0.2 g m−2) and 98% less after an herbicide application than a nontreated area. Wheat grain yield at the optimal planting date was greater than yields from delayed and late plantings in 2019–2020. A delay in planting from the optimal date to delayed or late timings decreased wheat yield by 14% and 21%, respectively. In 2020–2021, wheat yield from the late planting was reduced by 57% compared with the optimal planting yield. Delaying the planting date and the use of a common herbicide can suppress cheat and downy brome, but a decline in wheat yield may occur.

A hammer mill removed most of the lemmas, paleas, and pericarps from cheat florets. Typically, the cuticular layer of the testa was the only remaining intact layer, and damage to the embryos and endosperm was severe. A roller mill disrupted tissue organization of lemmas, paleas, and outer layers of the caryopses primarily at the cuts. Large gaps between the aleurone layer and testa, between testa and pericarp, and between the scutellum and endosperm were created. In the field, germination of mill-damaged florets was reduced, and florets exhibited progressive degradation the longer they were buried. Nematodes and fungi penetrated the cuticular layer of mill-damaged seed. Attaching a hammer mill or a roller mill to a grain combine to treat cheat seed before it is returned to the field could provide a novel method of cheat control.

Sixteen field experiments were conducted across Oklahoma to evaluate the effects of MON 37500 time of application on cheat control, and winter wheat injury and yield. Winter wheat injury from MON 37500 applied preemergence (PRE) was slight and was influenced by cumulative precipitation for 10 d after application. Winter wheat injury was more frequent with early vs. late postemergence (POST) applications and was influenced by wheat growth stage and mean, high, and low air temperatures before and after application. Cheat control averaged 75% (n = 16 treatments with four to six replicates) when applied PRE and 88% (n = 126 treatments with four to six replicates) when applied POST. Cheat control from MON 37500 applied POST declined with increasing cheat growth stage at application and with decreasing mean diurnal low temperatures 0 to 14 d and 0 to 21 d before application. MON 37500 applied PRE increased yields 52 and 66% compared with the untreated control in Year 1 and Year 2, averaged over eight experiments each year. MON 37500 applied POST increased wheat yields 68 to 69% compared with the untreated check in Year 1 and Year 2, when averaged over all applications in eight experiments each year. Wheat yields were greater from fall POST applications than from late-winter applications.

Southern Great Plains wheat growers typically apply either sulfosulfuron or propoxycarbazone-sodium for selective control of cheat. Although astute growers apply herbicides early in the growing season, herbicide application is often delayed until mid-winter or later. The effects of application timing of propoxycarbazone-sodium on cheat efficacy and on injury to the following grain sorghum crop have not been documented. Application of each herbicide at 17 intervals throughout the growing season indicated that cheat control with propoxycarbazone-sodium was greater than or equal to 90% even when application was delayed for several months after seeding. In contrast, cheat control with sulfosulfuron was variable when application was delayed more than 6 wk after wheat was seeded. Delaying sulfosulfuron application decreased wheat yield. Grain sorghum was not affected by propoxycarbazone-sodium residues regardless of application timing to wheat. Conversely, grain sorghum was severely injured by sulfosulfuron residues regardless of herbicide application timing.

Field studies at six locations over 3 yr in Kansas compared pyroxsulam at two application timings to competitive standards for winter annual weed control in winter wheat. Pyroxsulam applied fall-POST (FP) controlled downy brome 84 to 99% and was similar to or greater than sulfosulfuron, propoxycarbazone, or propoxycarbazone plus mesosulfuron. Downy brome control was lower when application timing was delayed until spring (SP), such that no herbicide provided more than 90% downy brome control. Cheat control was 97% or more with almost all herbicides applied FP, and greater than 90% in most locations when herbicides were applied SP. Sulfosulfuron was the exception with only 30 to 81% cheat control. All FP-applied herbicides, except sulfosulfuron at Manhattan, KS, controlled blue mustard 95% or more. Pyroxsulam and propoxycarbazone plus mesosulfuron FP completely controlled henbit at Hesston, KS, in 2009, but no herbicide treatment provided more than 60% control when applied SP. Averaged over application timings, pyroxsulam provided the greatest henbit control (76 and 78%) at Manhattan and Hays, respectively, in 2009, and FP treatments were 33 and 28 percentage points more effective than SP treatments at those locations. Averaged over application timing, wheat yields did not differ between herbicide treatments in five of six locations. Averaged over herbicide treatment, FP-treated wheat yielded more grain than SP-treated wheat at three of the six locations.

Field experiments were conducted in Oklahoma to quantify the wheat grain yield losses and price discounts resulting from season-long interference with cheat, feral rye, Italian ryegrass, jointed goatgrass, and wild oat. Plots were seeded to individual weeds at one of seven seeding rates, and wheat was planted in all plots at a uniform rate. Maximum weed densities were 89 (cheat), 80 (feral rye), 158 (Italian ryegrass), 170 (jointed goatgrass), and 120 plants/m2 (wild oat). Wheat grain yield losses caused by interference from the maximum density of each weed species were 19 (cheat), 55 (feral rye), 20 (Italian ryegrass), 21 (jointed goatgrass), and 28% (wild oat). Wheat grain total price discounts caused by interference from the maximum density of each weed species were 22 (cheat), 368 (feral rye), 26 (Italian ryegrass), 36 (jointed goatgrass), and 64 cents/hectoliter (wild oat). Of the five weed species included in this research, interference from feral rye had the greatest effect on wheat grain yield and price.

Greenhouse studies determined dose responses of winter annual weeds and winter wheat to preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) treatments of MKH 6561 and the residual effects on kochia. MKH 6561 at 11 to 45 g ha−1 did not affect wheat. MKH 6561 at 11, 34, and 45 g ha−1 reduced winter annual weed densities compared to an untreated control. Weed growth was inhibited as the rate of MKH 6561 was increased, but downy brome, cheat, and Japanese brome were three to six times more susceptible than jointed goatgrass. The GR70 values for cheat, downy brome, Japanese brome, and jointed goatgrass were 7, 11, 4, and >45 g ha−1, respectively. Dry weights of kochia seeded after removal of the winter annual grasses decreased as MKH 6561 rate increased, with average control being 77% compared to the nontreated control. Regression analysis indicated that kochia was controlled 80% with MKH 6561 at 28 g ha−1.

Producers in the Great Plains are exploring alternative crop rotations with the goal of reducing the use of fallow. In 1990, a study was established with no-till practices to compare eight rotations comprising various combinations of winter wheat (W), spring wheat (SW), corn (C), chickpea (CP), dry pea (Pea), soybean (SB), or fallow (F). After 12 yr, we characterized weed communities by recording seedling emergence in each rotation. Downy brome, cheat, redroot pigweed, and green foxtail were the most common weeds observed. Weed community density was highest for W–CP, being 13-fold greater than with Pea–W–C–SB. Downy brome and cheat were rarely observed in rotations where winter wheat was grown only once every 3 or 4 yr; in contrast, density of the brome species was 75-fold greater in W–CP. Warm-season weeds were also affected by rotation design; density of redroot pigweed and green foxtail was sixfold greater in W–C–CP compared with Pea–W–C–SB or W–F. One rotation design that was especially favorable for low weed density was arranging crops in a cycle of four, with two cool-season crops followed by two warm-season crops.