Call number: LD2668 .T4 1952 S93 / Master of Science

A test was conducted on established alfalfa to evaluate the efficacy of 10 herbicide treatments for the control of shepardspurse (Capsella bursa). Control ranged from 13 to 99 percent.

A test was conducted to compare EPTC applied preplant to alfalfa as a 10% granule and as a emulsifiable concentrate metered into the irrigation water. Observations and measurements on weed control and phytotoxicity were recorded EPTC appeared to be more active in controlling weeds and injuring seedling alfalfa when applied to 3.0 lb./acre as a granule rather than the same rate applied as a water run.

Two successive applications of Poast Plus (60 oz. product /A, 0.47 lb. sethoxydim /A), Ultima 160 (46 oz. product /A, 0.47 lb. sethoxydim /A), and Prism (34 oz. /A, 0.25 lb clethodim/A) were made on May 31 and June 27, 1996 to control bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) in a commercial alfalfa field. A crop oil concentrate was added to all herbicide solutions. Applications were made two days after the irrigations that followed removal of the cuttings. The bermudagrass density was high with extensive stolon development; the grass formed almost a complete mat in most of the plots. Percent control was visually estimated on June 27 (prior to second application) and on July 25, 28 days following the second application and after cutting of the alfalfa. Percent control was 84.5, 71.2, and 65% for Poast Plus, Ultima, and Prism, respectively, after one application. Percent control was 87.5, 72.5, and 90.5% for Poast Plus, Ultima, and Prism, respectively, after two applications. A single application of Poast Plus resulted in good bermudagrass control but single applications of Ultima or Prism resulted in marginal control. The second application of Prism significantly improved bermudagrass control but the second application of Poast Plus or Ultima did not improve control. The Poast Plus formulation of sethoxydim appeared to be superior to the Ultima 160 formulation of sethoxydim.

Summer weeds including purple nutsedge are of economic concern to alfalfa growers in western Arizona. Application rates of Cadre 2 ASU, a new sulfonylurea herbicide chemistry currently registered for experimental use in peanuts, for purple nutsedge control in a roadway bordering established alfalfa were examined in a two year duration, replicated field study. Fair to good (35- 65%) purple nutsedge control was obtained when Cadre was applied at the 3 oz/acre rate to a severe initial nutsedge infestation (80- 100%). Control was most effective when Cadre was applied in late summer compared to early spring, and repeat split applications were necessary under the high weed pressure observed in this study.

Summer weeds such as nutsedge are of economic concern to alfalfa growers in western Arizona. A two year replicated evaluation of the effectiveness of granular norflurazon herbicide for purple nutsedge control was conducted on an established alfalfa field in La Paz County. Zorial Rapid 80 WP and Evital 5G herbicides were tested for their effectiveness at controlling purple nutsedge when applied following hay harvest but prior to irrigation in early spring and late summer. Zorial 80 WP was applied at 2.0 lb a. i. /acre. Evital 5G was applied in spring 1996 at application rates of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 lb a. i. /acre. Split applications were made the following summer to four plots for a total of 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 lb a. i. /acre/year. In 1996, purple nutsedge control resulting from a single application of Evital 5G at 2.0 lb a. i. /acre was 41, 82, and 35% at 35, 63, and 99 DAT, respectively. However, Zorial 80 WP applied at 2.0 lb a. i. /acre provided poor purple nutsedge control due to poor soil incorporation since the liquid was unable to penetrate the dense nutsedge foliage. The treatments were reapplied in spring and summer of 1997.

Late summer grassy weed control is a questionable practice since it reduces alfalfa hay tonnage during summer slump, and the reduction in hay feed quality caused by these weeds in horse hay is questionable. A field experiment was conducted at the September alfalfa cutting to examine the feed quality of grassy and broadleaf weeds found in western Arizona hay fields at this time which corresponds with annual summer slump. These weeds included bermudagrass, junglerice (watergrass), Mexican sprangletop, Johnsongrass, purple nutsedge, and common purslane. Since hay cut during this period is used primarily for dry dairy cow and horse hay this study examined the suitability of alfalfa hay infested with these summer weeds as a feed for these animals. Based on this study, horse owners could benefit financially if they waited until late summer when hay prices slump, and purchase off-grade alfalfa hay containing less than one half grassy summer weeds for an economical, nutritious feed source.

The tolerance of seedling alfalfa to norflurazon applied at various times after planting was evaluated at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC) and in Glendale, AZ during 1998 and 1999. At each application date, rates of 0, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, or 4 lbs a.i./A of norflurazon formulated as a 5% sand granule (Zorial 5G) were applied using a ground driven Valmar granule applicator. Zorial 5G at rates ranging from 1.5 to 4.0 lbs a.i./acre applied as early as 25 days after planting (DAP) had no effect on alfalfa seedling emergence and stand establishment at (MAC). Significant alfalfa height reductions were observed as Zorial 5G rate was increased when Zorial was applied at 25 and 62 DAP (MAC) and 64 DAP (Glendale). Alfalfa fresh weight yield for the MAC location was reduced at the second cutting after application as Zorial 5G rate increased for the at planting and 25 DAP treatments. Alfalfa yields approximately one year after planting were not affected by applications of Zorial 5G at 25 DAP or later. Results suggest that Zorial applications at rates of 1 to 2 lbs a.i./A applied at the 3 to 4 trifoliate leaf stage (approximately 2 months after planting) have little effect on yield at first and second cuttings of alfalfa.

Two rates of Raptor herbicide were evaluated for late winter weed control in alfalfa in combination with various types of surfactancts, the insecticide Furadan, and other alfalfa herbicides with known limited control spectrums. Herbicides that were combined with Raptor were also evaluated separately, as was Pursuit. Effects of treatments on wild oats, littleseed canarygrass and annual sowthistle were obtained. Treatments containing the active ingredient clethodim (Select/Prism) reduced canarygrass height and reproduction, while Raptor treatments increased numbers of inflorescences. No treatment provided effective control of sowthistle although some activity was noted from the Raptor treatments when numbers of reproductive structures and height were examined. Surfactants/ adjuvants greatly increased Raptor activity. Wild oat control was noted in treatments containing clethodim and several Raptor treatments when utilizing a surfactant/adjuvant.

The response of alfalfa regrowth, yield and plant populations to halosulfuron applied following cuttings and irrigations in the summer and fall of 1999 was studied in an experiment conducted at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center. A single application of halosulfuron applied when there was little alfalfa foliage slightly reduced plant heights for several cutting cycles with increasing rate decreasing plant height. The cumulative forage fresh weight yields for the October 4th, November 15th, and February 22nd harvests for treatments receiving no halosulfuron or 0.032, 0.047, or 0.063 lb a.i./A were (means ± std. dev.): 15.94 ± 0.91, 14.99 ± 0.66, 14.80 ± 1.74, and 14.46 ± 0.97 tons/A, respectively. The trend of decreasing cumulative forage fresh weight with increasing halosulfuron rate was significant (Adj. R2 = 0.178, P = 0.015) indicating that for the three harvests after August 25th, halosulfuron had a small but negative effect on forage fresh weight. The harvest on April 5, 2000, the fourth harvest following the halosulfuron applications on August 25, 1999, indicated that there was no longer any residual effect of halosulfuron on alfalfa growth. Plant populations measured on April 10, 2000 were not affected by either one or two halosulfuron applications in this experiment. A set of sequential halosulfuron treatments applied when there was substantial alfalfa foliage (about 80% of the ground surface covered) severely suppressed alfalfa regrowth. Little regrowth occurred in these plots in October or November after the sequential applications compared to the untreated control or to the plots that received only the initial application of halosulfuron. The change in mean percent yield loss with successive harvests on November 15th, February 22nd and April 5th of 85, 40 and 14% indicated that the alfalfa plants were recovering from the halosulfuron applications. The cumulative forage fresh weight yields for treatments receiving sequential halosulfuron treatments (0.032+0.032, 0.047+0.047, or 0.063+0.063 lb a.i./A) were (means ± std. dev.): 11.67 ± 1.46, 10.85 ± 1.06, and 10.44 ± 0.98 tons/A, respectively, and were much less than the cumulative yield of 18.97 ± 1.17 tons/A from the untreated plots. The data suggest that the critical factor in determining the degree of alfalfa injury caused by halosulfuron is the amount of foliage present at the time of application.