Alternatives to Atrazine for Weed Management in Processing Sweet Corn

• Published in: Weed science Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 531 - 539
• Main Authors: Arslan, Zubeyde Filiz, Williams, Martin M, Becker, Roger, Fritz, Vincent A, Peachey, R. Ed, Rabaey, Tom L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK The Weed Science Society of America 01-07-2016; Cambridge University Press; Weed Science Society of America
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Alternatives; Atrazine; Corn; Crop production; Crop yield; Cultivation; Herbicide regulation; Herbicides; integrated weed management; Mode of action; North Central Region; Pacific Northwest; Restaurants; sweet corn industry; type: Weed Management; Vegetables; Weed control; WEED MANAGEMENT; Weeds; Oregon; Minnesota; United States > US; Illinois; Wisconsin; morningglory species, Ipomea spp; mesotrione; wild-proso millet, Panicum miliaceum L; tembotrione; velvetleaf, Abutilon theoprasti Medik; integrated weed management; North Central Region; sweet corn industry; giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L; sweet corn, Zea mays L; dimethenamid; Herbicide regulation; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L; Atrazine; Pacific Northwest
• ISSN: 0043-1745; 1550-2759
• DOI: 10.1614/WS-D-16-00001.1

Atrazine has been the most widely used herbicide in North American processing sweet corn for decades; however, increased restrictions in recent years have reduced or eliminated atrazine use in certain production areas. The objective of this study was to identify the best stakeholder-derived weed management alternatives to atrazine in processing sweet corn. In field trials throughout the major production areas of processing sweet corn, including three states over 4 yr, 12 atrazine-free weed management treatments were compared to three standard atrazine-containing treatments and a weed-free check. Treatments varied with respect to herbicide mode of action, herbicide application timing, and interrow cultivation. All treatments included a PRE application of dimethenamid. No single weed species occurred across all sites; however, weeds observed in two or more sites included common lambsquarters, giant ragweed, morningglory species, velvetleaf, and wild-proso millet. Standard treatments containing both atrazine and mesotrione POST provided the most efficacious weed control among treatments and resulted in crop yields comparable to the weed-free check, thus demonstrating the value of atrazine in sweet corn production systems. Timely interrow cultivation in atrazine-free treatments did not consistently improve weed control. Only two atrazine-free treatments consistently resulted in weed control and crop yield comparable to standard treatments with atrazine POST: treatments with tembotrione POST either with or without interrow cultivation. Additional atrazine-free treatments with topramezone applied POST worked well in Oregon where small-seeded weed species were prevalent. This work demonstrates that certain atrazine-free weed management systems, based on input from the sweet corn growers and processors who would adopt this technology, are comparable in performance to standard atrazine-containing weed management systems. Nomenclature: Atrazine; dimethenamid; mesotrione; tembotrione; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L.; giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L.; morningglory species, Ipomea spp.; velvetleaf, Abutilon theoprasti Medik.; wild-proso millet, Panicum miliaceum L.; sweet corn, Zea mays L.