Scott A. Senseman

Effect of glyphosate on soil microbial activity and biomass

Abstract Herbicides applied to soils potentially affect soil microbial activity. Quantity and frequency of glyphosate application have escalated with the advent of glyphosate-tolerant crops. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing glyphosate application rate on soil microbial biomass and activity. The soil used was Weswood silt loam. The isopropylamine salt of glyphosate was added at rates of 47, 94, 140, and 234 µg ai g−1 soil based on an assumed 2-mm glyphosate–soil interaction depth. Glyphosate significantly stimulated soil microbial activity as measured by C and N mineralization but did not affect soil microbial biomass. Cumulative C mineralization, as well as mineralization rate, increased with increasing glyphosate rate. Strong linear relationships between mineralized C and N and the amount of C and N added as glyphosate (r2 = 0.995, 0.996) and slopes approximating one indicated that glyphosate was the direct cause of the enhanced microbial activity. An increase in C mineralization rate occurred the first day following glyphosate addition and continued for 14 d. Glyphosate appeared to be directly and rapidly degraded by microbes, even at high application rates, without adversely affecting microbial activity. Nomenclature: Glyphosate; Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench., sorghum.

Reducing herbicide runoff from agricultural fields with vegetative filter strips: a review

Abstract Although the effectiveness of vegetative filter strips (VFS) for reducing herbicide runoff is well documented, a comprehensive review of the literature does not exist. The objectives of this article are to denote the methods developed for evaluating herbicide retention in VFS; ascertain the efficacy of VFS regarding abating herbicide runoff; identify parameters that affect herbicide retention in VFS; review the environmental fate of herbicides retained by VFS; and identify future research needs. The retention of herbicide runoff by VFS has been evaluated in natural rainfall, simulated rainfall, and simulated run-on experiments. Parameters affecting herbicide retention in VFS include width of VFS, area ratio, species established in the VFS, time after establishment of the VFS, antecedent moisture content, nominal herbicide inflow concentration, and herbicide properties. Generally, subsequent transport of herbicides retained by VFS is reduced relative to adjacent cultivated soil because of enhanced sorption and degradation in the former.

Solid-phase microextraction for herbicide determination in environmental samples

Liquid-liquid extraction or solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatography (GC) or high-performance liquid chromatography are traditional herbicide residue determination methods for environmental samples. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a solventless, fast, and sensitive alternative herbicide residue extraction method that can be applied to numerous environmental matrices. The objective of this paper was to review SPME literature regarding extraction theory, extraction modes, fiber types, and method optimization in conjunction with present and future SPME applications for herbicide determination in environmental samples.

A proposal to standardize soil/solution herbicide distribution coefficients

Abstract Herbicide soil/solution distribution coefficients (Kd) are used in mathematical models to predict the movement of herbicides in soil and groundwater. Herbicides bind to various soil constituents to differing degrees. The universal soil colloid that binds most herbicides is organic matter (OM), however clay minerals (CM) and metallic hydrous oxides are more retentive for cationic, phosphoric, and arsenic acid compounds. Weakly basic herbicides bind to both organic and inorganic soil colloids. The soil organic carbon (OC) affinity coefficient (Koc) has become a common parameter for comparing herbicide binding in soil; however, because OM and OC determinations vary greatly between methods and laboratories, Koc values may vary greatly. This proposal discusses this issue and offers suggestions for obtaining the most accurate Kd, Freundlich constant (Kf), and Koc values for herbicides listed in the WSSA Herbicide Handbook and Supplement. Nomenclature: Readers are referred to the WSSA Herbicide Handbook and Supplement for the chemical names of the herbicides.

Determining Exposure to Auxin-Like Herbicides. I. Quantifying Injury to Cotton and Soybean

Crop injury caused by drift of auxin-like herbicides has been a concern since their development. Research was conducted to describe a method of quantifying injury from auxin-like herbicides as a first step in determining crop damage. Reduced rates of 2,4-D, dicamba, and triclopyr were applied to cotton and soybean plants in the three- to six-leaf stage in field and greenhouse studies. Injury to leaves and stems were evaluated separately, and the values were combined so that one injury estimate was obtained for each individual plant rated. Injury symptoms were typical for auxin-type herbicides and ranged from slight bending of stems or petioles and wrinkled leaves to necrosis. Specific descriptions of leaf and stem injury levels were used to describe plant injury consistently. These descriptions were very detailed for the lower injury levels, but the characterizations became more general as the injury increased because of the prominence of factors such as necrosis. The injury evaluation method provided repeatable results for each herbicide and herbicide rate used. This injury evaluation method has many possible uses in auxin-like herbicide research and lays the foundation for forecasting the impact of early-season injury to cotton and soybean yield. Nomenclature: 2,4-D; dicamba; triclopyr; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. ‘Delta Pine 50’ #3 GOSHI; soybean, Glycine max (L.) ‘Delta Pine 415’ Merr. # GLYMA. Additional index words: Epinasty, method, plant injury, rating scale. Abbreviation: DAT, days after treatment.

Wheat and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) competition as affected by phosphorus nutrition

Abstract A greenhouse experiment used a replacement series design to compare the vegetative growth 6 wk after emergence in pure cultures and mixtures of winter wheat and Italian ryegrass, with phosphorus (P) levels recommended by soil testing. The planting proportions of wheat and Italian ryegrass were 100 and 0%, 75 and 25%, 50 and 50%, 25 and 75%, and 0 and 100%, respectively. There was no alleopathic interaction between the species. Both species in all pure and mixed cultures had substantially less growth in the low-P than in the recommended P treatment. However, the relative performance of the two species differed between P treatments. In the recommended P treatment in pure culture, Italian ryegrass had more tillers and greater root weight and length than wheat. Pure culture wheat in the low-P treatment exceeded pure culture Italian ryegrass in leaf area, weights of leaves, stems, and roots, and root length. Thus, the growth of wheat was inhibited less by P deficiency than the growth of Italian ryegrass in pure culture. In the 50:50 mixture of the recommended P treatment, wheat had greater leaf, stem, and root weights than Italian ryegrass. In the 50:50 mixture of the low-P treatment, the two species were very similar in growth, except that Italian ryegrass had about three times more tillers than did wheat. Whereas P deficiency limited the growth of wheat less than Italian ryegrass in pure culture, P deficiency did not affect the relative competitiveness of Italian ryegrass as much as wheat in mixed cultures. The ability of Italian ryegrass to compete with wheat when P was limiting may result from a difference in root growth. Italian ryegrass had a greater fresh root length to fresh root weight ratio than did wheat in the low-P treatment in pure culture and in the 50:50 mixture. The greater surface area of Italian ryegrass roots likely enhanced the competitiveness of Italian ryegrass relative to wheat under P-deficit conditions. Thus, the use of the recommended P nutrition from soil testing may be a key component to diminish Italian ryegrass competition in wheat fields. Nomenclature: Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam. LOLMU; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.

Glufosinate Combinations and Row Spacing for Weed Control in Glufosinate-Resistant Corn (Zea mays)1

Abstract: Research was conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate narrow row spacing and glufosinate in glufosinate-resistant corn. Glufosinate-resistant corn was planted in 51- and 102-cm row spacings at the same plant populations. Herbicide treatments included glufosinate alone and in different herbicide combinations. Atrazine plus glufosinate enhanced Palmer amaranth control compared to glufosinate alone. Control of johnsongrass, ivyleaf morningglory, entireleaf morningglory, Texas panicum, smellmellon, browntop panicum, and toothed spurge with glufosinate was greater than 82%. Common sunflower control with glufosinate was greater than 95%. Atrazine followed by glufosinate applications provided at least 94% control of all species and was the most consistent herbicide system used. Row spacing had little effect on weed control. Crop injury to glufosinate-resistant corn was minimal with glufosinate and atrazine plus glufosinate combinations. Nomenclature: Atrazine; glufosinate; browntop panicum Panicum fasciculatum Sw. #3 PANFA; entireleaf morningglory Ipomoea hederacea var. intergriuscula Gray # IPOHG; ivyleaf morningglory Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq. # IPOHE; johnsongrass Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. # SORHA; Palmer amaranth Amaranthus palmeri S.Wats. # AMAPA; smellmellon Cucumis melo L. var. dudaim Naud. # CUMMD; common sunflower Heliathus annuus L. # HELAN; Texas panicum Panicum texanum Buckl. # PANTE; toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata Michx. # EPHDE; corn (Zea mays L.). Additional index words: Narrow-row corn, transgenic corn, atrazine, pendimethalin, primisulfuron, CGA 152005 (proposed name, prosulfuron). Abbreviations: DAT, days after POST treatment; fb, followed by; LPOST, late postemergence; POST, postemergence; PRE, preemergence.

Effect of flood timing on red rice (Oryza spp.) control with imazethapyr applied at different dry-seeded rice growth stages

Field experiments were conducted in 2002 and 2003 in Beaumont, TX, to evaluate the effect of flood timing on red rice control with imazethapyr applied at different cultivated rice growth stages. Treatments included flood establishment at 1, 7, 14, and 21 d after postemergence (POST) herbicide treatment (DAT). Imazethapyr was applied preemergence at 70 g ai/ha followed by 70 g/ ha POST when imidazolinone-tolerant rice cultivar ‘CL-161’ had three- to four-leaf stage (EPOST) or five-leaf stage (LPOST). Flood needed to be established within 14 DAT to achieve at least 95% red rice control when imazethapyr was applied EPOST. However, flood needed to be established within 7 DAT to provide at least 95% red rice control when imazethapyr was applied LPOST. Delaying the flood up to 21 DAT reduced rice grain yield for both application timings. Nomenclature: Imazethapyr; red rice, Oryza sativa L., #ORYSA3; rice, Oryza sativa L., cultivar ‘CL-161.’ Additional index words: Acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18), ALS inhibitor, Clearfield rice, imidazolinone, water management. Abbreviations: ANOVA, analysis of variance; DAPOST, days after postemergence treatments; DAT, days after treatment; EMS, ethyl methanesulfonate; EPOST, early postemergence; LPOST, late postemergence; POST, postemergence; PRE, preemergence.

Infiltration and adsorption of dissolved metolachlor, metolachlor oxanilic acid, and metolachlor ethanesulfonic acid by buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides) filter strips

Abstract Vegetative filter strips (VFS) potentially reduce herbicide transport from agricultural fields by increasing herbicide mass infiltrated (Minf) and herbicide mass adsorbed (Mas) compared with bare field soil. However, there are conflicting reports in the literature concerning the contribution of Mas to herbicide trapping efficiency (TE). Moreover, no study has evaluated TE among metolachlor and metolachlor metabolites in a VFS. This experiment was conducted to compare TE, Minf, and Mas among metolachlor, metolachlor oxanilic acid (OA), and metolachlor ethanesulfonic acid (ESA) in buffalograss filter strips. Runoff was applied as a point source upslope of a 1- × 3-m microwatershed at a rate of 750 L h−1. The point source was fortified with metolachlor, metolachlor OA, and metolachlor ESA, each at 0.12 μg ml−1. After moving through the plot, water samples were collected at 5-min intervals and stored at 5 C until analysis. Water samples were extracted using solid-phase extraction and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection. TE was significantly greater for metolachlor (25.3%) as compared with the OA (15.5%) and ESA metabolites (14.2%). The average Minf was 8.5% and was not significantly different among compounds. Significantly more metolachlor (17.3%) was retained as Mas compared with either metolachlor OA (7.0%) or metolachlor ESA (5.5%). Moreover, Mas accounted for 68 and 42% of the total TE for metolachlor and metolachlor metabolites, respectively. These results demonstrate that adsorption to the VFS grass, grass thatch, or soil surface (or all) is an important retention mechanism for metolachlor and metolachlor metabolites, especially under saturated conditions. Moreover, the Mas data indicate that metolachlor is preferentially retained by the VFS grass, grass thatch, or soil surface (or all) compared with the OA and ESA metabolites. Greater metolachlor retention in VFS compared with the OA and ESA metabolites may partially explain why metolachlor metabolites are frequently measured at higher concentrations than metolachlor is in surface water. Nomenclature: Metolachlor; metolachlor ethanesulfonic acid, (2-[(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl-1)amino]-2-oxoethanesulfonic acid); metolachlor oxanilic acid (2-[(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)amino]-2-oxoacetic acid); buffalograss, Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.

Soil characteristics and water potential effects on plant-available clomazone in rice

Abstract Clomazone has been successfully used for weed control in rice, but crop injury is a potential problem on light-textured soils. Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of soil characteristics and water potential on plant-available clomazone and rice injury. A centrifugal double-tube technique was used to determine plant-available concentration in soil solution (ACSS), total amount available in soil solution (TASS), and Kd values for clomazone on four soils at four water potentials. A rice bioassay was conducted parallel to the plant-available study to correlate biological availability to ACSS, TASS, and Kd. TASS was significantly different in all soils. The order of increasing TASS for the soils studied was Morey < Edna < Nada < Crowley, which correlated well with soil characteristics. The order of increasing TASS after equilibrium was − 90 < − 75 < − 33 < 0 kPa. TASS values at 0 kPa were greater than two times the TASS values at − 90 kPa. It appears that severe rice injury from clomazone on these soils could occur if TASS > 110 ng g−1 and Kd < 1.1 ml g−1. We propose that the double-tube technique provides a more accurate estimate of available herbicide because the solution–soil ratios are < 0.33:1 and would be more representative of a plant root–herbicide relationship. This technique or some variation possibly could be further developed such that clomazone rates could be more clearly defined particularly on lighter-textured soils. TASS may be a better predictor of plant-available herbicide than ACSS when evaluating moderately to highly water-soluble herbicides in a nonsaturated soil environment. Nomenclature: Clomazone.