Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / J. Anita Dille / Integrated weed management (IWM) is an ecological approach to weed control that reduces dependence on herbicides through understanding of weed biology and involves using multiple weed control measures including cultural, chemical, mechanical and biological methods. The critical period of weed control is the duration of the crop life cycle in which it must be kept weed-free to prevent yield loss from weed interference. Eight experiments were conducted throughout Kansas between October 2010 and June 2012 to identify this period in winter wheat grown under dryland and irrigated conditions. Impact of henbit and downy brome density on winter wheat yields were evaluated on four farmer’s fields with natural populations and on a research station with overseeded populations. Henbit density up to 156 plants m-2 did not affect winter wheat yield, while downy brome at a density of 40 plants m-2 reduced yield by 33 and 13% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In the presence of downy brome, winter wheat should be kept weed-free approximately 30 to 45 days after planting to prevent yield loss; otherwise, weeds need to be removed immediately following release from winter dormancy to prevent yield loss due to existing weed populations. Flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone are herbicides registered for use in winter wheat, soybean and corn for control of broadleaf and grass weeds. Flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone were evaluated for plant response to localized herbicide exposure to roots, shoots, or both roots and shoots utilizing a novel technique. Two weed species, ivyleaf morningglory and shattercane, as well as two crops, wheat and soybean, were evaluated for injury after localized exposures. The location and expression of symptoms from the flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone herbicides were determined to be the shoot of seedling plants. The utilization of preemergence herbicides in winter wheat is not a common practice, although application may protect winter wheat from early season yield losses as determined by the critical weed-free period. Kansas wheat growers should evaluate the presence and density of weed species to determine which weed management strategy is most advantageous to preserving winter wheat yield.

Lentil is an important pulse crop in Saskatchewan. Weed control is central to lentil production due its poor competitive ability and the few herbicide options for use on conventional varieties. Imidazolinone tolerant lentil varieties have been developed to improve herbicidal weed control and crop safety. Two studies were conducted in 2006 and 2007 in Saskatchewan with the research objective of determining the optimal weed control timing and herbicide to maximize weed control and lentil yield. The first experiment investigated the critical period of weed control (CPWC) for lentil. The CPWC was realized by investigating two components; the duration of weed interference and the duration of the weed-free period which respectively determine the beginning and end of the CPWC. The crop remained weedy or weed-free from zero to eleven lentil nodes to investigate the durations of weed interference and weed-free period. There was an inverse relationship between weed biomass and lentil yield such that lentil yield was highest when weed biomass was minimal. The CPWC was found to commence at the five node stage and continue to the ten node stage. The second experiment investigated imazethapyr / imazamox, imazamox and metribuzin + sethoxydim applied at two application times to determine the best herbicide for the CPWC. The results indicated that imazethapyr / imazamox and imazamox applied at the six node stage resulted in the overall lowest weed biomass and highest lentil yield compared to application at the two node stage. In accordance with these results and the CPWC, imazethapyr / imazamox or imazamox should be applied at or before the five to six node stage to maximize lentil yield and minimize weed biomass.