Breanne D. Tidemann

Identifying Critical Control Points in the Wild Oat (Avena fatua) Life Cycle and the Potential Effects of Harvest Weed-Seed Control

Wild oat is a problematic weed species that requires new management techniques in the face of herbicide resistance; harvest weed-seed control (HWSC) may be an option. Wild oat demographic information was collected in long-term, rotational field studies in Lacombe, AB, Canada, in 2006 and 2007, and a periodic matrix model was parameterized using management extremes (no IPM, no herbicide to high IPM, and full herbicide). Population growth rates were calculated for each treatment and year. Prospective (elasticity) and retrospective (LTRE) analyses were conducted alongside a rearrangement of the model equation in which population growth rates were designated and the required proportion of newly shed seed survival that gives that growth rate was solved for. All populations had λ > 1 or increasing populations. Elasticity analyses indicated that λ was most-highly elastic to the overwinter seedbank (Esw = 1), followed by seedling survival, fecundity, and survival of newly shed seed (0.63 to 0.86 across treatments). The latter may be the most-accessible vital rate for management of herbicide resistant populations. LTRE exposed the stochasticity of wild oat population growth rates between years and their ability to take advantage of lapses in control. Decreasing the proportion of newly shed seeds (snew) that survives was the most-effective and available control strategy until reduced to 0.1 to 0.3 when the summer seedbank becomes more critical. When averaged across treatments, > 80% of newly shed seed must be eliminated to stop the population from growing, resulting in a stable population, but not a decline. Because of preharvest shattering, HWSC will likely not be effective enough alone to cause wild oat populations to decline. New management techniques for wild oat control that can be used in combination with HWSC and integrated weed management strategies are needed. Nomenclature: Wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA.

Efficacy of Fall- and Spring-Applied Pyroxasulfone For Herbicide-Resistant Weeds in Field Pea

Abstract Field trials were initiated in fall 2011 to determine the potential of pyroxasulfone to control acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor-resistant weeds in field pea. Pyroxasulfone was applied in split-plot trials at five locations in western Canada using fall and PRE spring applications of 0 to 400 g ai ha−1. Trial locations were chosen with a range of soil organic matter content: 2.9, 4.3, 5.5, 10.5, and 10.6% at Scott, Kernen, Kinsella, Melfort, and Ellerslie, respectively. The herbicide dose required to reduce biomass by 50% (ED50) in false cleavers ranged between 53 and 395 g ha−1 at Scott and Ellerslie, respectively. Wild oat ED50s varied between 0.54 g ha−1 at Scott in the fall and 410 g ai ha−1 in the spring at Melfort. ED50s for wild oat and false cleavers varied by 7.4- and 746-fold, respectively, depending primarily on the organic matter content at the trial location. The effect of application timing was not consistent. Significant yield reductions and pea injury occurred at 150 and 100 g ha−1 and higher at Kernen and Scott, respectively. Low organic matter and high precipitation levels at these locations indicates increased herbicide activity under these conditions. Pyroxasulfone may allow control of ALS inhibitor-resistant false cleavers and wild oat; however, locations with high soil organic matter will require higher rates than those with low organic matter for similar control levels. Nomenclature: Pyroxasulfone; false cleavers; Galium spurium L. GALSP; wild oat; Avena fatua L. AVEFA; field pea; Pisum sativum L. Resumen En el otoño de 2011, se iniciaron estudios de campo para determinar el potencial de pyroxasulfone para el control de malezas resistentes a inhibidores de acetolactate synthase (ALS) en campos de guisante. Se aplicó pyroxasulfone en ensayos de parcelas-divididas en cinco localidades en el oeste de Canadá usando aplicaciones en el otoño y PRE en la primavera de 0 y 400 g ai ha−1. Las localidades fueron escogidas para abarcar diferentes contenidos de materia orgánica: 2.9, 4.3, 5.5, 10.5 y 10.6% en Scott, Kernen, Kinsella, Melfort, y Ellerslie, respectivamente. La dosis requerida para reducir la biomasa en 50% (ED50) de Galium spurium varió entre 53 y 395 g ha−1 en Scott y Ellerslie, respectivamente. La ED50 para Avena fatua varió entre 0.54 g ha−1 en Scott en el otoño y 410 g ha−1 en la primavera en Melfort. Las ED50 variaron para A. fatua y G. spurium entre 7.4 y 746 veces, respectivamente, dependiendo principalmente del contenido de materia orgánica en la localidad donde se realizó el experimento. El efecto del momento de aplicación no fue consistente. Reducciones significativas de rendimiento y daño en el guisante ocurrieron a dosis de 150 y 100 g ha−1 y mayores en Kernen y Scott, respectivamente. Bajos niveles de materia orgánica y altos niveles de precipitación en estas localidades indican, que bajo estas condiciones, hay una mayor actividad del herbicida. Pyroxasulfone podría permitir el control de G. spurium y A. fatua resistentes a herbicidas inhibidores de ALS. Sin embargo, en lugares con alto contenido de materia orgánica se requerirán dosis más altas que las requeridas en suelos con bajos niveles de materia orgánica para obtener un control similar.

Factors Affecting Weed Seed Devitalization with the Harrington Seed Destructor

The Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD), a novel weed control technology, has been highly effective in Australian cropping systems. To investigate its applicability to conditions in western Canada, stationary threshing was conducted to determine the impact of weed species, seed size, seed number, chaff load, and chaff type on efficacy of seed destruction. Control varied depending on species, with a range of 97.7% to 99.8%. Sieve-sized volunteer canola seed had a linear relationship of increasing control with increasing 1,000-seed weight. However, with greater than 98% control across all tested seed weights, it is unlikely that seed size alone will significantly influence control. Consistently high levels of control were observed at all tested seed densities (10 seeds to 1 million seeds). The response of weed seed control to chaff load was quadratic, but a narrow range of consistently high control (>97%) was again observed. Chaff type had a significant effect on weed seed control (98% to 98.6%); however, seed control values in canola chaff were likely confounded by a background presence of volunteer canola. Overall, the five parameters studied statistically influence control of weed seeds with the HSD. However, small differences between treatments are unlikely to affect the biological impact of the machine, which provides high levels of control for those weed seeds that can be introduced into the harvester. Nomenclature: Volunteer canola (rapeseed), Brassica napus L. BRSNN.

Opportunities and challenges for harvest weed seed control in global cropping systems

The opportunity to target weed seeds during grain harvest was established many decades ago following the introduction of mechanical harvesting and the recognition of high weed-seed retention levels at crop maturity; however, this opportunity remained largely neglected until more recently. The introduction and adoption of harvest weed seed control (HWSC) systems in Australia has been in response to widespread occurrence of herbicide-resistant weed populations. With diminishing herbicide resources and the need to maintain highly productive reduced tillage and stubble-retention practices, growers began to develop systems that targeted weed seeds during crop harvest. Research and development efforts over the past two decades have established the efficacy of HWSC systems in Australian cropping systems, where widespread adoption is now occurring. With similarly dramatic herbicide resistance issues now present across many of the worlds cropping regions, it is timely for HWSC systems to be considered for inclusion in weed-management programs in these areas. This review describes HWSC systems and establishing the potential for this approach to weed control in several cropping regions. As observed in Australia, the inclusion of HWSC systems can reduce weed populations substantially reducing the potential for weed adaptation and resistance evolution.

Additive efficacy of soil-applied pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone combinations

Tidemann, B. D., Hall, L. M., Johnson, E. N., Beckie, H. J., Sapsford, K. L., Willenborg, C. J. and Raatz, L. L. 2014. Additive efficacy of soil-applied pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone combinations. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1245-1253. Efficacy of soil-applied herbicides can be influenced by edaphic factors including soil organic matter (OM) content, as well as by interactions with herbicide tank-mix partners. Field trials were conducted over 6 site-years in 2011 and 2012 across western Canada to examine the interaction of pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone when co-applied for control of false cleavers (Galium spurium L.) and wild oat (Avena fatua L.) in field pea. In the greenhouse, the nature of this interaction was further investigated for these two weed species, plus barley and canola; in a separate experiment, the effect of OM content on pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone efficacy was examined using three soils with 2.8, 5.5, and 12.3% OM content, respectively. Efficacy of pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone combinations was additive under both field and greenhouse conditions. Higher OM content generally required higher rates of herbicide to achieve similar efficacy for all tested species. Pyroxasulfone and sulfentrazone can be combined to aid in herbicide resistance management and broaden the weed spectrum compared with each product used alone, although rate selection may be OM dependent.

Suitability of Wild Oat (Avena fatua), False Cleavers (Galium spurium), and Volunteer Canola (Brassica napus) for Harvest Weed Seed Control in Western Canada

As chemical management options for weeds become increasingly limited due to selection for herbicide resistance, investigation of additional nonchemical tools becomes necessary. Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) is a methodology of weed management that targets and destroys weed seeds that are otherwise dispersed by harvesters following threshing. It is not known whether problem weeds in western Canada retain their seeds in sufficient quantities until harvest at a height suitable for collection. A study was conducted at three sites over 2 yr to determine whether retention and height criteria were met by wild oat, false cleavers, and volunteer canola. Wild oat consistently shed seeds early, but seed retention was variable, averaging 56% at the time of wheat swathing, with continued losses until direct harvest of wheat and fababean. The majority of retained seeds were >45 cm above ground level, suitable for collection. Cleavers seed retention was highly variable by site-year, but generally greater than wild oat. The majority of seed was retained >15 cm above ground level and would be considered collectable. Canola seed typically had >95% retention, with the majority of seed retained >15 cm above ground level. The suitability ranking of the species for management with HWSC was canola > cleavers > wild oat. Efficacy of HWSC systems in western Canada will depend on the target species and site- and year-specific environmental conditions. Nomenclature: False cleavers, Galium spurium L. GALSP; volunteer canola, Brassica napus L. BRSNN; wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA; fababean, Vicia faba L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.

Attempts to rescue yield loss in continuous canola with agronomic inputs

Abstract: Recent canola acreage and production in western Canada have reached record high levels. Field experiments were conducted from 2014 to 2016 on land previously seeded to continuous canola for 6 yr at three Canadian Prairie sites. We determined that more intensive seed inputs, fertilizer, fungicide, tillage, or chaff removal could increase continuous canola yields compared with a “standard practice” (SP) treatment or match yields compared with canola in rotation. Recommended or 50% higher fertility levels alone or in combination with a higher seeding rate, tillage, chaff removal, or additional fungicide were applied to the same plots in three successive years to determine effects after 1, 2, and 3 yr of treatment imposition. In continuous canola, blackleg incidence and severity were both reduced by fungicide treatment. In rotations where canola was preceded by wheat, blackleg incidence and severity were much lower than in continuous canola. None of the treatments improved continuous canola yields compared with SP after a single year of treatment imposition. In subsequent years, canola yield increases compared with SP usually occurred as a result of additional fertilizer, seed, or fungicide. In the final year, canola yield loss due to continuous canola was largely rescued by additional seed and fertilizer. Without additional inputs, and when preceded by a different crop, canola yields averaged 11% greater than the average of all continuous canola treatments. High fertility regimes generally reduced oil content and increased protein content relative to standard fertility in continuous canola or relative to canola preceded by wheat.

Potential Benefit and Risk of Fluridone as a Fall Germination Stimulant in Western Canada

Herbicide resistance has increased the need for novel weed control strategies. Fluridone has herbicidal as well as potential germination stimulant activity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate fluridone as a fall-applied germination stimulant for weed control and to assess rotational crop tolerance. Fall-applied fluridone was compared with a nontreated control in areas established with false cleavers, volunteer canola, and wild oat at Lacombe, AB, in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016, and at St Albert, AB, in 2015–2016. In the fall, there was a trend for weed densities to be higher in fluridone treatments than in untreated controls across site-years. The stimulatory effect of fluridone on weed germination was not statistically significant in fall assessments, while the weed control effect was significant in 33% of spring assessments. While fluridone reduced weed biomass for some site-years, it also reduced canola crop emergence and biomass at St Albert in 2015–2016, and caused injury symptoms on wheat and field pea. Risk of carryover to subsequent crops outweighed the benefits of using fluridone in the fall to stimulate weed germination in this study. Nomenclature: Fluridone; false cleavers, Galium spurium L. GALSP; canola, Brassica napus L. BRSNN; wild oat, Avena fatua L. AVEFA; field pea, Pisum sativum L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.

Weed seed shatter in spring wheat in Alberta

Abstract: The efficacy of harvest weed seed control depends on the extent of seed shatter of the targeted weeds. Seed shatter of nine weed species, namely, wild oat (Avena fatua L.), green foxtail [Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv.], wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis L.), cleavers (Galium spurium L. and G. aparine L.), spiny annual sow thistle [Sonchus asper (L.) Hill], lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.), redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), round-leaved mallow (Malva pusilla Sm.), and kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.] was measured in spring wheat (small-plot trials or producer fields) from 2014 to 2016 near Lacombe and Lethbridge, AB. Seed shatter was assessed using shatter trays collected periodically during crop ripening, as well as at the swathing and direct-harvest (direct-combining) stages. If ≤20% and ≥80% seed shatter by the direct-harvest stage is considered low and high, respectively, then green foxtail, lambsquarters, kochia, and round-leaved mallow are classified as low, wild oat and annual sow thistle as high, and the other investigated species classed as intermediate. Seed retention of most species was improved by swathing compared with direct-combining. Study results indicate that harvest weed seed control practices have good potential for several weed species in western Canada.