Weed management can be difficult and expensive in organic agricultural systems. Because of the potentially high cost of the natural product herbicides vinegar and clove oil, their efficacy with regard to weed species growth stages needs to be determined. A further objective was to identify anatomical and morphological features of redroot pigweed and velvetleaf that influence the effectiveness of vinegar and clove oil. Research was conducted on greenhouse-grown cotyledon, two-leaf, and four-leaf redroot pigweed and velvetleaf. Dose–response treatments for vinegar included 150-, 200-, 250-, and 300-grain vinegar at 318 L/ha and at 636 L/ha. Clove oil treatments included 1.7, 3.4, 5.1, and 6.8% (v/v) dilutions of a clove oil product in water (318 L/ha), and a 1.7% (v/v) dilution in 200-grain vinegar (318 L/ha). An untreated control was included. Separate plantings of velvetleaf and pigweed were treated with vinegar or clove oil and were used to study anatomical and morphological differences between the two species. Redroot pigweed was easier to control with both products than velvetleaf. Whereas 200-grain vinegar applied at 636 L/ha provided 100% control (6 d after treatment [DAT]) and mortality (9 DAT) of two-leaf redroot pigweed, this same treatment on two-leaf velvetleaf provided only 73% control and 18% mortality. The obtuse leaf blade angle in velvetleaf moved product away from the shoot tip, whereas in pigweed, the acute leaf blade angle, deep central leaf vein, and groove on the upper side of the leaf petiole facilitated product movement toward the stem axis and shoot tip. For both species, and at all application timings, 150-grain vinegar at 636 L/ha provided control equal to that of 300-grain vinegar at 318 L/ha. As growth stage advanced, control and biomass reduction decreased and survival increased. Application timing will be critical to maximizing weed control with vinegar and clove oil.

The effect of time of day (TOD) on the activity of six common POST herbicides was investigated in field trials from 2007 to 2009 at two locations in southwestern Ontario. Percentage weed control was assessed following application of bentazon, chlorimuron-ethyl, fomesafen, glyphosate, imazethapyr, or quizalofop-p-ethyl applied at 3-h intervals from 6:00 A.M. to midnight, when weeds averaged 15 cm tall. The effect of time of day varied with weed species, but weed control was generally reduced when herbicides were applied at 6:00 A.M., 9:00 P.M., and midnight. Herbicide activity on velvetleaf was most frequently reduced, especially for chlorimuron-ethyl, glyphosate, and imazethapyr. Control of common ragweed with glyphosate and imazethapyr was also affected by the timing of application, and pigweed species only showed an effect with glyphosate. Variation in temperature, relative humidity, and dew presence/absence at different times of the day, as well as morphological/physiological characteristics such as weed size at time of application and diurnal leaf movement in response to light intensity, may account for the variation in weed control at different times of the day. Significant soybean yield loss was not observed in this study, but may occur if herbicide efficacy is severely reduced by application at inappropriate times of day. These results provide valuable information for growers, and suggest that POST herbicides are most effective when applied midday, rather than in the early morning or late evening.

Almost 1,650 corn, cotton, and soybean growers in 22 states participated in a 2010 telephone survey to determine their attitudes with regard to which weed species were most problematic in glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop production systems for corn, cotton, and soybean. The survey is a follow-up to a previous 2005 to 2006 survey that utilized a smaller set of growers from fewer states. In general, growers continued to estimate weed populations as low and few challenges have been created following adoption of GR cropping systems. Pigweed and foxtail species were dominant overall, whereas other species were more commodity and state specific. Corn, cotton, and soybean growers cited velvetleaf, annual morningglory, and waterhemp, respectively, as predominant weeds. Growers in the South region were more likely to report pigweed and waterhemp (Amaranthus spp.), whereas growers in the East and West reported horseweed. When growers were asked with which GR weeds they had experienced personally, horseweed was reported in all regions, but growers in the South more frequently reported pigweed, whereas growers in the East and West regions more frequently reported waterhemp. Comparisons with the previous 2005 survey indicated that more growers believed they were experiencing GR weeds and were more aware of specific examples in their state. In particular, the Amaranthus complex was of greatest concern in continuously cropped soybean and cotton.