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CORESTA Meeting, Agronomy/Phytopathology, Krakow, 2007, AP 30

Experimental herbicide systems for postemergence weed control in no-tillage dark tobacco

BAILEY W.A.; PEARCE R.C.
University of Kentucky, Dept. of Plant & Soil Sciences, Lexington, KY, USA

Conservation tillage systems for tobacco conserve soil moisture and substantially reduce energy costs and soil erosion by wind and water. Conservation tillage can also allow tobacco growers to make more timely pesticide applications in the field during wet periods. Since mechanical cultivation is not used to supplement herbicides in conservation tillage systems, achieving season-long weed control can be difficult. Broadleaf weeds that escape early-season herbicide applications can be problematic in no-till tobacco. For this reason, experiments were conducted at Princeton, KY in 2004 and 2005 to evaluate weed control efficacy and crop tolerance of experimental broadleaf herbicides in no-till dark tobacco. 'Narrowleaf Madole' dark tobacco was established at 4900 plants/A into burned-down fescue sod in 2004 and burned-down wheat stubble in 2005. The entire experimental area received sulfentrazone at 0.42 kg ai/ha plus clomazone at 0.84 kg ai/ha as a soil surface application prior to transplanting. Postemergence herbicides tested included trifloxysulfuron-sodium, halosulfuron-methyl, carfentrazone, and paraquat. Trifloxysulfuron-methyl (5.3 g ai/ha) and halosulfuron-methyl (53 g ai/ha) were applied as postemergence over-the-top (POT) applications and as postemergence-directed (PD) applications. Carfentrazone (17.5 g ai/ha) and paraquat (0.21 kg ai/ha) were applied as PD applications only. Tobacco injury from POT herbicide applications of trifloxysulfuron-sodium or halosulfuron-methyl ranged from 8 to 19%, with very little injury caused from PD applications of these herbicides. However, tobacco was injured 10 to 39% by carfentrazone PD and 53 to 58% by paraquat PD. Although paraquat was the most injurious herbicide, it provided the most consistent late-season weed control of horsenettle ( Solanum carolinense L.), honeyvine milkweed ( Ampelamus albidus L.), and ivyleaf morningglory ( Ipomoea hederacea L.). Tobacco yield ranged from 2781 to 3208 kg/ha in 2004 and 2387 to 2595 kg/ha in 2005. Halosulfuron-methyl POT was the only herbicide application that resulted in a significant decrease in tobacco yield.