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Preemergence (PRE) herbicides are an important part of the overall weed management plan in no-till (NT) pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) production. A field evaluation was conducted in an NT production system using PRE herbicides labeled for pumpkins to determine the benefits of specific herbicide combinations and the economic returns on investment associated with their use. The PRE herbicide treatments evaluated were 1) s-metolachlor (1360 g⋅ha–1 a.i.), 2) clomazone (350 g⋅ha–1 a.i.) and ethalfluralin premix (1120 g⋅ha–1 a.i.), 3) s-metolachlor + clomazone and ethalfluralin premix, 4) s-metolachlor + halosulfuron (35 g⋅ha–1 a.i.), 5) clomazone and ethalfluralin premix + halosulfuron, and 6) none. The primary weed species present were tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), giant foxtail (Setaria faberi), and large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis). The best weed control option for full-season broadleaf and grass weed control was s-metolachlor + clomazone and ethalfluralin. This herbicide combination also provided the greatest economic return on investment, ranging from a 20% to 40% improvement (depending on the year) compared with the next closest PRE herbicide treatment. Those with the lowest returns on investment were s-metolachlor combined with halosulfuron, and clomazone and ethalfluralin combined with halosulfuron. Besides providing the highest returns on investment, the PRE application of s-metolachlor with clomazone and ethalfluralin also produced the largest pumpkin fruit for the weed species present. Although growers often look for ways to reduce input costs in NT pumpkin production systems, the proper selection of PRE herbicides that considers the weed species present is clearly an important investment that improves pumpkin yields and revenues.

Weeds resistant to PPO-inhibiting herbicides threaten the profitability of crop producers relying on this chemistry. In Amaranthus palmeri, mutations at G210 (∆G210) and R128 (R128G/M) of the PPX2 gene were reported to confer PPO-inhibitor resistance. Here, A. palmeri samples from nine states in America, having survived a field application of a PPO-inhibitor, were genotyped to determine the prevalence of these mutations. Less than 5% of the 1828 A. palmeri plants screened contained the ∆G210 mutation. Of the plants lacking ∆G210, a R128 substitution was only found in a single plant. An A. palmeri population from Alabama without mutations at G210 or R128 had a resistance ratio of 3.1 to 3.5 for fomesafen. Of the candidate PPX2 mutations identified in this population, only V361A conferred resistance to lactofen and fomesafen in a transformed bacterial strain. This is the first report of the V361A substitution of PPX2 conferred PPO-inhibiting herbicide resistance in any plant species. Future molecular screens of PPO-inhibitor resistance in A. palmeri and other species should encompass the V361A mutation of PPX2 to avoid false-negative results.

Enhancing total yield and improving seed quality is a dynamic area of research. Both breeding and biotechnology have been successful in creating soybean cultivars with increased oil or protein content with much research directed at total yield. We conducted a 2-year field experiment to investigate the potential impact of interspecific competition on seed quality and seed development of five soybean cultivars (Forrest, Essex, Asgrow 4603, Asgrow 4403 and Asgrow 3903). Three levels of weed competition were established using different application rates of pre-emergence herbicides s-metolachlor and cloransulam. Several seed related parameters were measured and many showed similar trends of significance for cultivar and weed competition treatments across both years. Higher levels of weed competition resulted in soybean seeds containing higher protein content (increase between 0.7 and 1%). For protein in 2005, there was a significant interaction term for competition level and cultivar (F8,44 = 2.38, P < 0.05). Seed oil tended to decrease with higher levels of competition, but by less than 1% each year. Seed yield showed a significant decrease in response to competition in 2005 (F2,44 = 56.82, P < 0.0001), but not in 2004. Seed per plant decreased in response to competition both years (2004: F2,44 = 8.23, P < 0.05; 2005: F2,44 = 8.71, P < 0.05). Seed per plant was impacted both years by competition. The number of aborted pods per plant was greater for plants under low and medium competition; however, significance was seen only in 2004 (F2,44 = 3.33, P < 0.05) but the trend was evident in 2005. Seed quality changes are responsive to the presence of neighbouring plants even if their interference does not reduce total yield. Future studies should be designed to investigate how competition and interference alter soybean metabolism such that seed quality is maximised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicide-resistant weeds, especially Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson), are problematic in row-crop producing areas of the United States. The objectives of this study were to determine if chlorimuron-ethyl, fomesafen, and glyphosate applied separately and in mixtures control A. palmeri and confirm the presence of various genotypes surviving two- and three-way herbicide mixtures. Fifteen percent of A. palmeri treated with the three-way herbicide mixture survived. Mixing fomesafen with chlorimuron-ethyl or fomesafen with glyphosate to create a two-way mixture reduced A. palmeri survival 22 to 24% and 60 to 62% more than glyphosate and chlorimuron-ethyl alone, respectively. Previously characterized mutations associated with A. palmeri survival to chlorimuron-ethyl, fomesafen, and glyphosate Trp574Leu, a missing glycine codon at position 210 of the PPX2L gene (ΔG210), and 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphase synthase (EPSPS) gene amplification; respectively, were present in surviving plants. However, 37% of plants treated with chlorimuron-ethyl did not contain heterozygous or homozygous alleles for the Trp574Leu mutation, suggesting alternative genotypes contributed to plant survival. All surviving A. palmeri treated with fomesafen or glyphosate possessed genotypes previously documented to confer resistance. Indiana soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] fields infested with A. palmeri possessed diverse genotypes and herbicide surviving plants are likely to produce seed and spread if alternative control measures are not implemented.