Field studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 to evaluate fall applications of herbicides to control glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed before planting cotton. Fall treatments were compared with spring treatments for control of GR horseweed and effect on seed cotton yield. Fall and spring treatments with and without residual herbicides were also compared. No differences were observed for control of GR horseweed or seed cotton yield between fall and spring application timings. However, a difference was observed between fall applications with and without a residual herbicide. Fall applications that contained residual herbicides provided 86% control of GR horseweed and yielded 2,360 kg/ha of seed cotton. Fall applications that did not contain a residual herbicide only provided 70% control of GR horseweed and yielded 2,010 kg/ha of seed cotton. No benefit was observed from spring applications that contained a residual herbicide. This research indicates that glyphosate-resistant horseweed can be controlled with fall- or spring-applied burndown herbicides, and fall applications should include a residual herbicide for best results.

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed has become an especially problematic weed in different crop production systems across the United States and the world. In this field study, we used a nondestructive measurement system to analyze the pollen production, deposition, and dispersion of a Tennessee glyphosate resistant (TNR) horseweed biotype in Knoxville, TN during the 2013 pollination season. We observed that the pollination season of TNR horseweed lasted about 2 mo (54 d). About 78.93% of horseweed pollen was released between 9:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. during each sampling day and the release peak was at about 1:30 P.M. The seasonal release of pollen grains was estimated to be 5.11 million grains plant−1. The release rate data indicated that the integrated horizontal flux density and deposition flux density contributed to 78.17% and 21.83% of the release rate, respectively. We also found that pollen concentration decreased with distance from the source field; the average pollen concentration decreased to 50.69% at a distance of 16 m from the source plot. This is the first result of a systematic, direct examination of the release rate (emission and deposition), release pattern (daily and seasonal), and dispersion pattern of GR horseweed pollen.