Search

The establishment of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fields near row crops has raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of herbicide drift on hemp production. This study examined hemp susceptibility to drift of herbicides registered for use in corn and/or soybeans. Herbicide solutions (2,4-D, dicamba, glufosinate, glyphosate, imazethapyr, lactofen, mesotrione) were applied separately in the wind tunnel (3.6 m s−1 airspeed), simulating drift scenarios, with conventional TP95015EVS (TP) and air inclusion AI95015EVS (AI) flat fan nozzles calibrated to deliver 140 L ha−1 carrier volume at 230 kPa. Mylar cards and hemp plants (20–25 cm tall) were placed downwind up to 12 m. Spray deposition from mylar cards was quantified using fluorometry and hemp biomass was collected 21 post application. Results indicated the nozzle design influenced downwind deposition; 5% of spray deposits from the TP nozzle reached 5.9 m downwind versus 2.0 m for the AI nozzle. Glyphosate, glufosinate, and mesotrione caused the highest biomass reductions, with 50% reductions observed at 19.3 (inferred), 8.7, and 9.3 m downwind for TP nozzle, and 4.1, 4.0, and 2.9 m for AI nozzle. These findings suggest herbicide applications at airspeeds of 3.6 m s−1 or greater present a risk to nearby hemp fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential for off-target movements follows every herbicide application. Because the launch of acetolactate synthase (ALS)- and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicide-tolerant crops will increase the treated area, there is a need to assess the possible negative consequences of any particle drift from those herbicides. Drift happens with every pesticide application, requiring mitigation. Various factors influence drift. Some, such as nozzle type, working pressure, and boom height, can be managed. Others, such as wind, are not easy to manage. In our study, an herbicide tank mixture of mesotrione with rimsulfuron plus thifensulfuron-methyl was sprayed in a low-speed wind tunnel to simulate drift. The airspeed was set at 4.4 m s−1, representing the labeled upper limit for applications. The herbicide solution was sprayed through XR110015 and TTI110015 nozzles. Eight crops were exposed to herbicide drift treatments and biomass data were collected. Droplet size spectra and tracer depositions were evaluated. Tracer deposition was on average threefold higher in all downwind distances (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 m) from the XR nozzle in comparison to the TTI nozzle. As a consequence, greater biomass reduction was recorded for applications with the XR compared to the TTI nozzle from 1 to 12 m downwind. At 12-m distance, biomass was decreased by 7–78% using XR nozzle while 1–27% using the TTI nozzle. Because drift can injure crops, it is very important to mitigate drift from application of formulations containing mesotrione and rimsulfuron plus thifensulfuron-methyl in combination. This can be done by selecting the appropriate nozzle and ensuring optimal distances between crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the introduction of herbicide tolerant crops provided growers new options to manage weeds, the widespread adoption of these herbicides increased the risk for herbicide spray drift to surrounding vegetation. The impact of herbicide drift in sensitive crops is extensively investigated, whereas scarce information is available on the consequences of herbicide drift in non-target plants. Weeds are often abundant in field margins and ditches surrounding agricultural landscapes. Repeated herbicide drift exposure to weeds could be detrimental to long-term management as numerous weeds evolved herbicide resistance following recurrent-selection with low herbicide rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate if glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba spray drift could select Amaranthus spp. biotypes with reduced herbicide sensitivity. Palmer amaranth and waterhemp populations were recurrently exposed to herbicide drift in a wind tunnel study over two generations. Seeds from survival plants were used for the subsequent rounds of herbicide drift exposure. Progenies were subjected to herbicide dose-response studies following drift selection. Herbicide drift exposure rapidly selected for Amaranthus spp. biotypes with reduced herbicide sensitivity over two generations. Weed management programs should consider strategies to mitigate near-field spray drift and suppress the establishment of resistance-prone weeds on field borders and ditches in agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice lines derived from wild species and mutants can serve as a good resource for favorable alleles for heat tolerance. In all, 48 stable lines including 17 KMR3/ O. rufipogon introgression lines (KMR3 ILs), 15 Swarna/ O. nivara ILs (Swarna ILs) along with their parents, Nagina 22 (N22) and its 4 EMS induced mutants and 7 varieties were evaluated for heat tolerance under irrigated conditions under field in two seasons, wet season 2012 using poly cover house method and dry season 2013 using late sown method. Spikelet fertility (SF), yield per plant (YP) and heat susceptibility index (HSI) for these two traits were considered as criteria to assess heat tolerance compared to control. Four KMR3 ILs and eight Swarna ILs were identified as heat tolerant based on SF and YP and their HSIs in both wet and dry seasons. S-65 and S-70 showed low SF and high YP consistently in response to heat in both seasons. We provide evidence that SF alone may not be the best criterion to assess heat tolerance and including YP is important as lines with low SF but high YP and vice versa were identified under heat stress. Out of 49 SSR markers linked to spikelet fertility, 18 were validated for five traits. RM229 in wet season and RM430 and RM210 in dry season were significantly associated with both SF and its HSI under heat stress. RM430 was also significantly associated with both YP and its HSI in dry season. Thirty two candidate genes were identified close to nine markers associated with traits under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant roots play an important adaptive role in drought prone environments. Although there have been many efforts to improve root traits to develop drought tolerant maize varieties but significant progress has not yet made mainly due to difficulty in screening root traits. The aims of the study were to develop an easy and reliable screening method for deep root mass and related root traits of maize in greenhouse and evaluate their association with the grain yield under water-deficit field conditions. Twelve maize hybrids and their corresponding 12 female inbred parents were evaluated for phenotypic variation in deep root mass (dry weight of the root section below 45 cm from the root base), and related root traits, such as root length and total root mass in PVC tubes in greenhouse. The test hybrids were selected based on their grain yield under water-deficit conditions in the field. Plants were grown in three different growing media, and a mixture of sand, vermiculite, perlite and soil was found to be the best growing medium to study root growth. Deep root mass, total root mass and root length differed significantly among the genotypes, and these traits showed positive relationship with grain yield under water-deficit field conditions. The root screening system used is simple and inexpensive, making it suitable for evaluating large number of maize genotypes for root traits in greenhouse for selection for drought tolerance. Several diverse inbred lines for deep root mass have been identified and these could be used as parents to develop appropriate populations to study the genetic basis of deep root mass with a goal to manipulate drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Root angles are widely recognized to play an important role in determining rooting depth and drought tolerance in crop plants. But there has been no report revealing any association between root angle and yield performance under drought conditions in maize. There is also no simple method available to screen root angles. The objectives of this study were to evaluate genetic variation in seminal and nodal root angles in maize in greenhouse condition and their association with drought tolerance in field condition. Methods: Eighteen hybrids, of which nine were higher-yielding and nine were lower-yielding under water-stressed condition in field, were evaluated for root angle variation. Root angle was estimated as the distance between the horizontal soil surface line and slope of the root at 2 cm position from root base using a protractor. Results: Significant phenotypic variation was observed among hybrids for seminal and nodal root angles and primary root diameter. These root traits showed strong positive correlations with grain yield under drought condition. All the higher-yielding hybrids had steeper root growth angle than the lower-yielding hybrids. A strong correlation between seminal and nodal root angles was observed. A strong correlation was also observed between 5th and 4th node nodal root angles. Conclusion: Either seminal or nodal root angle could be used for selection for the improvement drought tolerance. The current screening system for root angle is simple and inexpensive, and could be used for screening a large number of genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) (WCR) is a major insect pest of corn (Zea mays L.) in the United States (US) and is highly adaptable to multiple management tactics. A low level of WCR field-evolved resistance to pyrethroid insecticides has been confirmed in the US western Corn Belt by laboratory dose-response bioassays. Further investigation has identified detoxification enzymes as a potential part of the WCR resistance mechanism, which could affect the performance of insecticides that are structurally related to pyrethroids, such as organophosphates. Thus, the responses of pyrethroid-resistant and -susceptible WCR populations to the commonly used pyrethroid bifenthrin and organophosphate dimethoate were compared in active ingredient bioassays. Results revealed a relatively low level of WCR resistance to both active ingredients. Therefore, a simulated aerial application bioassay technique was developed to evaluate how the estimated resistance levels would affect performance of registered rates of formulated products. The simulated aerial application technique confirmed pyrethroid resistance to formulated rates of bifenthrin whereas formulated dimethoate provided optimal control. Results suggest that the relationship between levels of resistance observed in dose-response bioassays and actual efficacy of formulated product needs to be further explored to understand the practical implications of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]