Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Johanna A. Dille / An opportunity for postemergence (POST) grass weed control has recently been approved with ALS-resistant grain sorghum, however, grass weed emergence timing and crop tolerance to grass competition are not well understood. To address the importance of POST application timing, a critical period of weed control (CPWC) for grass competition in grain sorghum was developed. Field experiments were established near Manhattan and Hays, KS in 2016 and 2017, and near Hutchinson, KS in 2017 to determine the CPWC. Each site provided a different grass species community. A total of ten treatments were included, with four treatments maintained weed-free until 2, 3, 5, or 7 weeks after crop emergence, four treatments receiving no weed control until 2, 3, 5, or 7 weeks after crop emergence, and two treatments were maintained weed-free or weedy all season. Treatments did not influence grain yield at Hutchinson because of a lack of season-long weed emergence. At Hays the CPWC began at crop emergence and ended 28 days later. At Manhattan the CPWC began 27 days after emergence and continued through grain harvest. The CPWC in grain sorghum depends on rainfall and competitive ability of the weed species. The start of the CPWC began when weeds emerged, thus a POST application should be targeted 14 to 21 days after emergence of grain sorghum. Emergence and development of large crabgrass, barnyardgrass, shattercane, and giant, green, and yellow foxtails were studied near Manhattan, KS after seeding on April 11, 2017. Barnyardgrass had the longest duration of emergence, beginning at 180 GDD after seeding and continuing through July. Large crabgrass had the shortest duration of emergence from 325 to 630 GDD after seeding. In general, all grasses began to emerge in late April and most species completed 90% emergence by early June. Grain sorghum is typically planted at this time, so grass weed control prior to planting is critical. Palmer amaranth is a troublesome weed in double-crop grain sorghum production fields in Kansas. The presence of herbicide-resistant populations limits options for weed management. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate 14 different herbicide programs for the management of atrazine-resistant Palmer amaranth in double-crop grain sorghum at Manhattan and Hutchinson, KS in 2016 and 2017. Programs included eight PRE only and six PRE followed by POST treatments. Programs that had very long chain fatty acid-inhibiting herbicides provided greater control of atrazine-resistant Palmer amaranth by three weeks after planting sorghum. Programs of PRE followed by POST provided greater control of both atrazine-resistant and -susceptible Palmer amaranth by eight WAP compared to PRE alone. These results illustrate the value of residual herbicides, as well as an effective postemergence application, in double-crop grain sorghum. Early season grass and Palmer amaranth control with the use of residual herbicides such as very long chain fatty acid-inhibitors provide a competitive advantage to grain sorghum. Utilizing weed emergence patterns to time effective POST applications, in unison with residual herbicides, will provide season-long weed control in Kansas grain sorghum fields.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Johanna A. Dille / Challenges in weed management include occurrence of multiple weed species in the field, variable emergence among weed species, different spatial distribution and weed densities, which leads to the persistence of weed patches. The overall objective of this research was to understand the interaction of weed emergence, weed density, herbicide choice, and herbicide rate in soybean. Specific objectives were 1) to characterize the seedbank and emergence patterns of shattercane (Sorghum bicolor L.), prickly sida (Sida spinosa L.), and ivyleaf morningglory (Ipomoea hederacea Jacq.) including initial, peak, end, and duration of emergence in response to crop and herbicide treatments in soybean, and 2) to evaluate large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L.), shattercane, Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S.), and velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.) mortality and dry weight reduction in response to herbicide rates across varying weed densities as well as to determine the influence of velvetleaf growth stage and density on herbicide efficacy. In the emergence study of 2006 to 2008, four treatments were nocrop, no-residual herbicide, half-rate of residual herbicide and full-rate of residual herbicide. Reduction in weed emergence was observed over the years in the same species patch. Species emerged in mid-May in both years, coinciding with soybean planting. Extended emergence was observed for shattercane when moisture was low and temperature high, while for prickly sida and ivyleaf morningglory, extended emergence was observed when moisture was high and temperature low. Applying residual herbicide decreased weed emergence. Herbicide choice was the whole plot, herbicide rates were subplots and weed densities were sub-subplots in field experiments conducted in 2006 and 2007. Shattercane was more susceptible to both glyphosate and clethodim than large crabgrass. Increasing large crabgrass density reduced percent mortality with clethodim, while with glyphosate, density did not affect both species mortality. Shattercane dry weight was reduced to 0 g per plot with 0.1X labeled rate of clethodim or glyphosate while 0.5X of the labeled rate reduced dry weight of large crabgrass to 0 g per plot. For broadleaf weeds, higher percent mortality was observed with glyphosate than with lactofen at high densities. Palmer amaranth was more susceptible than velvetleaf. Velvetleaf response was density dependent, such that increasing density did not increase dry weight. Velvetleaf growth stage was of importance, as stage affected herbicide efficacy, with higher mortality achieved at the two-leaf stage than the four- and six-leaf stages. For glyphosate, 0.125X of labeled rate on velvetleaf density of 5 seedlings per pot achieved more than 90% mortality when applied at the two-leaf stage, but dropped to 60 and 50% mortality when applied at the four- and six-leaf stage, respectively. The trend was the same for velvetleaf at a density of 30 seedlings per pot, which had 80, 60, and 55% mortality for the two-, four-, and six-leaf stages, respectively. Weed managers and farmers have the opportunity to better select herbicide choice and rate based on weed species, weed emergence patterns, and weed density.

Magistrantūros studijų baigiamajame darbe pateikiami piktžolių dygimo dinamikos (trumpaamžių, daugiamečių ir vyraujančių rūšių piktžolių) ir burokėlių derlingumo duomenys tiriant įvairių organinių mulčių ir skirtingo storio sluoksnių liekamąjį poveikį. Darbo objektas – raudonojo burokėlio (Beta vulgaris var. vulgaris) agrofitocenozė. Darbo metodai: piktžolių daigų skaičiavimui kiekviename laukelyje buvo pažymėtos keturios pastovios aikštelės 0,2 x 0,5 m. Apskaita atlikta kas 10 dienų, nuo gegužės 20 d. iki rugsėjo 30 d. Kiekvienos rūšies piktžolių daigai suskaičiuoti ir išrauti. Piktžolių kiekis perskaičiuotas vnt. m-2. Pagal piktžolių biologinį grupavimą išskirtos trumpaamžės ir daugiametės piktžolės. Nustatytos vyraujančios piktžolių rūšys. Burokėlių derlingumas nustatytas svėrimo metodu. Gautas derlius iš laukelio perskaičiuotas į t ha-1 absoliučiai švarių burokėlių derlių. Darbo rezultatai. Gausiausiai piktžolės dygo gegužės trečią – 765,6 vnt. m-2 ir birželio pirmą – 270,6 vnt. m-2 dekadas. Vėliau piktžolių dygimas mažėjo visų variantų laukeliuose. Anksčiau įterpti šiaudų, durpių ir žolės mulčiai nežymiai (4,7-6,7 proc.) skatino piktžolių dygimą per visą tyrimų laikotarpį. Nustatytas nevienodas mulčių liekamasis poveikis trumpaamžių piktžolių dygimui. Įterpti durpių ir žolės mulčiai skatino trumpaamžių piktžolių dygimą nuo 5,2 iki 12,6 proc. Paprastosios rietmenės 20 proc. gausiau rasta ankstesniais metais durpių mulčiu mulčiuotuose laukeliuose, smulkiažiedės galinsogos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Master degree final research paper provides weed germination dynamics (annual, perennial and predominant weeds sorts) and red beet productivity data when researching residual effect of various organic mulches and different thickness layers. Object of the work – red beet (Beta vulgaris var. vulgaris) crop. Method of the work – to compute weed sprouts each field was divided into four permanent sites 0.2 x 0.5 m. These were observed every 10 days from May 20 till August 30. Each weed species sprouts were counted and torn out. Number of weeds was translated into units. m-2. According to biological grouping of weeds annual and perennial were distinguished. Predominant weed species were established. Red beet productivity was determined by weighting. Received yield from the field was translated into t ha-1 totally useful red beet yield. The results of work. Most of the weeds germinated in the 3rd decade of May – 765.6 weeds number m-2 and 1st decade of June – 270.6 weeds number m-2. Later germination of the weeds decreased in the plots of all treatments. Straw, peat and grass mulches, previously incorporated, moderately (4.7 to 6.7 percent) stimulated weed germination during the entire study period. The different residual effect of mulches was determined for germination of annual weeds. The incorporated peat and grass mulches promoted germination of the annual weeds from 5.2 to 12.6 percent. Echinochloa crus - galli were found thicker by 20 percent in the plots that in previous... [to full text]