Efficacy and fate of glyphosate on Swedish railway embankments

The herbicide glyphosate, N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, as Spectra (240 g AI litre(-1) SL; Monsanto Europe AB), RoundUp (360 g AI litre(-1) SL; Monsanto) and RoundUp Bio (360 g AI litre(-1) SL; Monsanto), have been used for weed control on Swedish railway embankments since 1986. This article summarizes results from studies of the weed effect and behaviour of glyphosate for the period 1984-2003. Studies on a railway embankment with a range of application rates showed excellent weed control at 5 litre ha(-1) of RoundUp Bio. The appearance of glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA [(aminomethyl)phosphonic acid] in the embankment, eg mobility and persistence, was also studied. Mobility was low in most cases, the main proportion of both glyphosate and AMPA being found in the upper 30-cm layer although minor amounts penetrated to lower depths. The 50% disappearance time of glyphosate was generally <5 months in railway embankments but cases with longer persistence were found. Transport to the groundwater was observed for glyphosate and AMPA in groundwater pipes along tracks. Downward transport appears to be dependent on the application rate, which should not exceed 3 litre ha(-1) of RoundUp Bio to avoid groundwater contamination. A lower rate of glyphosate mixed with a low rate of another herbicide may achieve acceptable weed control and be environmentally safer.     

The impact of the herbicide glyphosate on leaf litter invertebrates within Bitou bush, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp rotundata, infestations

Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp rotundata (L) T Norl (Bitou bush) is a serious environmental weed along the southeast coast of Australia. The herbicide glyphosate is commonly used to control C monilifera on the New South Wales coastline, but there have been few studies examining the effects of this herbicide on invertebrate communities in the field, especially on sand dunes. Control and impact sites were selected in coastal hind dunes heavily infested with C monilifera, and the impact sites were sprayed with a 1:100 v/v dilution of glyphosate-isopropyl 360 g AE litre(-1) SL (Roundup Biactive). Leaf litter invertebrates were sampled before spraying and after spraying by collecting fixed areas of leaf litter in both the control and impact sites. Samples were sorted for particular invertebrates involved in leaf litter decomposition and some of their predators. This study did not identify any significant direct or indirect effects on leaf litter invertebrate abundance or community composition in the four months following herbicide application. The litter invertebrate assemblages were highly variable on a small spatial scale, with abiotic factors more strongly regulating leaf litter invertebrate numbers than glyphosate application. These results conflict with previous studies, indicating that the detrimental indirect effects herbicide application has on non-target litter invertebrates may depend upon the application rate, the vegetation community and structure and post-spray weather.     

Common reed (Phragmites australis) control is influenced by the timing of herbicide application

Herbicides are typically used as the primary method of weed control. Since common reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis) infestations in terms of density are relatively large in the State of Nebraska, USA, determining the most appropriate timing of herbicide application is critical for developing a weed management programme. Therefore, several field studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 at three locations along the Platte River, Nebraska, with the aim of assessing the effect of herbicide selection and timing of application on common reed control. Three herbicides (glyphosate, imazapyr, and imazamox) were applied either alone at two doses or as two-way mixtures on three growth stages of common reed, including vegetative, flowering, and seed filling stages. Both doses of imazapyr (280 and 560 g active ingredient [a] ha^?1) provided the highest level of control (≥ 92%) across all three timings, while imazamox provided the lowest level of control. For example, imazamox applied alone at 280 and 560 g a ha^?1 provided poor control (≤ 60%) across all three timings at the highest rating date. Imazapyr and glyphosate provided the highest levels of control (90%) by the end of the first growing season and into the next growing season (390 to 450 days after treatment, DAT), regardless of the herbicide application time. Imazamox and glyphosate provided the lowest level of control (< 30%) at the first application time at 450 DAT, but slightly improved control with later timings (74% and 85% control at the flowering and seed filling stages, respectively). Stem density decreased in all herbicide applications and timings except for imazamox at both doses during the vegetative growth stage, which was not significantly different than the untreated control.     

有机硅喷雾助剂对草甘膦在空心莲子草上的沉积和生物活性的影响

研究了有机硅喷雾助剂(OSA)对草甘膦在空心莲子草Alternanthera philoxeroides上的沉 积与生物活性的影响。当采用较大喷雾雾滴,施药液量高于632.5 L/hm2时,添加OSA(0.35 g/L) 后,草甘膦药液在空心莲子草上的沉积量显著下降。最大稳定持留量(MRG)由未添加OSA的0.61~0.63 μ L/cm2下降到0.50~0.54 μ L/cm2。分别以33.7和67.4 μ g/株剂量的草甘膦点叶处理空心莲子草,发现添加OSA的处理对再生植株茎叶生长的抑制率分别比对照提高了8.89%和14.83%。草甘膦(有效成分199.3 g/hm2)施药后1 h进行人工模拟降雨处理,添加OSA后药剂对空心莲子草的生物活性比无OSA对照处理提高了20.5%。研究结果表明,添加有机硅喷雾助剂促进了草甘膦在空心莲子草中的向下传导性能,提高了草甘膦水剂在空心莲子草叶片的耐雨水冲刷性能,但会降低草甘膦药液在空心莲子草上的最大稳定持留量。     

Herbicidal control of Chromolaena odorata in oil palm

A range of herbicides was evaluated for the control of Chromolaena odorata (L.) K & R in oil palm at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research. Glufosinate-ammonium quickly dessicated treated foliage but weed plants soon recovered. Glyphosate-isopropylamine and glyphosate-trimesium produced similar results, both formulations controlling treated vegetation and suppressing regrowth for up to 12 weeks after treatment. Triclopyr and hexazinone + diuron were effective for up to 20 WAT, whereas imazapyr controlled regrowth for up to 36 WAT. Regrowth of the weed from its roots was better suppressed when the foliage was left undisturbed for 4–7 days after herbicide treatment. Repeated annual applications of triclopyr, hexazinone + diuron, the two formulations of glyphosate or imazapyr progressively reduced the biomass of C . odorata in the plots. In particular, imazapyr effectively eliminated the weed after the second application. Taking crop tolerance into consideration, the most promising herbicide treatments were glyphosate at 2.4 kg a.i. ha⁻¹ and low rates (0.5 kg a.i. ha⁻¹ or less) of imazapyr.     

The fate of imazapyr in a Swedish railway embankment

The long-term fate of the herbicide imazapyr [2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)nicotinic acid] applied to a Swedish railway embankment was studied. Imazapyr was applied at 750 and 1500 g ha(-1) by a spraying train used for full-scale herbicide treatment operations. Soil and groundwater were sampled twice a year for 8 years after application of the herbicide, and the dissipation of imazapyr was studied by HPLC analysis of the residues in soil and groundwater. A clean-up procedure including solid-phase extraction was performed prior to detection by HPLC. Recoveries of imazapyr from soil and water samples were 76-98% and 61-90%, respectively, and detection levels were 0.003 mg kg(-1) and 0.05 microg litre(-1), respectively. Sorption, desorption and microbial amount and activity were also measured at the two locations. The organic matter content correlated positively and the pH negatively to the adsorption of imazapyr on soil, and increasing organic matter contents decreased desorption. Apart from the 0-10-cm top layers of both sites, the microbial amount and activity were small. The main proportion of imazapyr was found in the upper 30 cm of the soil, and degraded with a half-life in the range 67-144 days. Small amounts were transported to lower soil layers and to the groundwater in proportion to the amounts applied. Traces of imazapyr were detected in the groundwater even 8years after application. It was concluded that environmental risks from the use of herbicides on railway embankments could be reduced by including adsorption layers in the embankment during their construction and by reducing the dose of the herbicide used.     

Comparison of efficacy, absorption and translocation of three glyphosate formulations on velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)

Growth analysis, absorption and translocation studies were conducted to compare a 1-aminomethanamide dihydrogen tetraoxosulfate (GLY-A) formulation of glyphosate with two isopropylamine (GLY-IPA-1, GLY-IPA-2) formulations of glyphosate on velvetleaf. The two isopropylamine formulations differed by the presence of a surfactant in the formulation, GLY-IPA-1 containing surfactant whereas GLY-IPA-2 did not. Four- to six-leaf velvetleaf was treated with GLY-A and GLY-IPA-1 and GLY-IPA-2 (0, 50, 67, 89, 119, 158, 280, 420, 560 and 840 g AE ha(-1)) with and without ammonium sulfate (AMS; 20 g L(-1)). GLY-A and GLY-IPA-2 included a non-ionic surfactant (2.5 mL L(-1)) in the spray solution at all herbicide concentrations. No additional surfactant was added to GLY-IPA-1. The IC50 value for GLY-A was 88 g AE ha(-1) compared with 346 and 376 g AE ha(-1) for GLY-IPA-1 and GLY-IPA-2 respectively in the absence of AMS. When AMS (20 g L(-1)) was added to the spray solution, the estimated IC50 values were 143, 76 and 60 g AE ha(-1) for GLY-IPA-1, GLY-IPA-2 and GLY-A respectively. Absorption of 14C-glyphosate into the third leaf of five- to six-leaf velvetleaf was three- to sixfold greater 72 h after treatment (HAT) when applied as GLY-A compared with GLY-IPA-1 and GLY-IPA-2 respectively in the absence of AMS. AMS (20 g L(-1)) increased absorption of 14C-glyphosate in all glyphosate formulations two- to threefold, but differences among the formulations remained. Approximately three- and sixfold more 14C-glyphosate applied as GLY-A had translocated out of the treated leaf compared with GLY-IPA-1 and GLY-IPA-2 respectively by 72 HAT. Adding AMS (20 g L(-1)) increased translocation of 14C-glyphosate out of the treated leaf approximately 2.5-fold for all three formulations. The increased efficacy of GLY-A versus GLY-IPA-1 and GLY-IPA-2 on velvetleaf is due to the greater rate of absorption and subsequent translocation of glyphosate out of the treated leaf. AMS increased the efficacy of all three formulations by increasing absorption and translocation of glyphosate in the plant.     

Studies on a new group of biodegradable surfactants for glyphosate

The effectiveness of a homologous series of biodegradable rapeseed oil derivatives (triglyceride ethoxylates; Agnique RSO series containing an average of 5, 10, 30 and 60 units of ethylene oxide (EO) as adjuvants for foliage-applied, water-soluble, systemic active ingredients was evaluated employing glyphosate as an example. Previous experiments had revealed that the surfactants used are not phytotoxic at concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 g litre-1. The experiments were performed using Phaseolus vulgaris L and nine selected weed species, grown in a growth chamber at 25/20 (+/- 2) degrees C day/night temperature and 40/70 (+/- 10)% relative humidity. The surfactants were evaluated for enhancement of spray retention, and foliar penetration biological efficacy of glyphosate. Glyphosate was applied at a concentration of 43 mM. The surfactants were added at concentrations of 1 g litre-1. The commercial glyphosate 360 g AE litre-1 SL Roundup Ultra and unformulated glyphosate served as references. The surfactants used improved spray retention, foliar penetration and biological efficacy. Some of the formulations were comparable to the performance of Roundup Ultra in the aspects evaluated; some were even more effective in enhancing spray liquid retention and promoting glyphosate phytotoxicity in several plant species. In these studies Agnique RSO 60 generally was most effective.     

Sorption, mineralization and mobility of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine (glyphosate) in five different types of gravel

Sorption, mineralization and mobility of glyphosate were studied in six substrates: the five types of gravel most frequently used as surfacing in Denmark and a sandy agricultural soil from Simmelkaer that served as a reference soil. Cumulative mineralization of [methyl-14C]glyphosate in batch studies was highest in coarse gravel, amounting to 14% after 4 days at 30 degrees C and 32% after 31 days. Mineralization was slowest in the sandy reference soil, amounting to only 2% after 31 days. The adsorption coefficient (Kd) of glyphosate in gravel ranged from 62 to 164 litre kg(-1), while that in the sandy reference soil was 410 litre kg(-1). The results indicate that the relatively low Kd in gravel allows a relatively high rate of glyphosate mineralization by the biomass. When Kd is high, in contrast, mineralization is slow. Lowering the temperature to 10 degrees C decreased mineralization by 50% in one of two gravels. The leaching of glyphosate was screened in simple columns of gravel or soil in which precipitation events (20 mm over a 2-h period) were simulated on three occasions, starting either immediately after or 2 days after application of glyphosate. [14C]Glyphosate was applied as a tracer mixed with the commercial product Roundup Garden at the recommended rate of 2.4 kg glyphosate ha(-1), equivalent to 1 microg g(-1) soil. The highest concentration of [14C] compounds (expressed in terms of glyphosate concentration) in leachate from the columns exceeded 1300 microg litre(-1), and was detected in rounded gravel after the first rain event. No glyphosate was detected in leachate from the sandy reference soil.     

Control by glyphosate and its alternatives of glyphosate‐susceptible and glyphosate‐resistant Echinochloa colona in the fallow phase of crop rotations in subtropical Australia

Echinochloa colona is the most common grass weed of summer fallows in the grain‐cropping systems of the subtropical region of Australia. Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide for summer grass control in fallows in this region. The world's first population of glyphosate‐resistant E. colona was confirmed in Australia in 2007 and, since then, >70 populations have been confirmed to be resistant in the subtropical region. The efficacy of alternative herbicides on glyphosate‐susceptible populations was evaluated in three field experiments and on both glyphosate‐susceptible and glyphosate‐resistant populations in two pot experiments. The treatments were knockdown and pre‐emergence herbicides that were applied as a single application (alone or in a mixture) or as part of a sequential application to weeds at different growth stages. Glyphosate at 720 g ai ha^?1 provided good control of small glyphosate‐susceptible plants (pre‐ to early tillering), but was not always effective on larger susceptible plants. Paraquat was effective and the most reliable when applied at 500 g ai ha^?1 on small plants, irrespective of the glyphosate resistance status. The sequential application of glyphosate followed by paraquat provided 96–100% control across all experiments, irrespective of the growth stage, and the addition of metolachlor and metolachlor + atrazine to glyphosate or paraquat significantly reduced subsequent emergence. Herbicide treatments have been identified that provide excellent control of small E. colona plants, irrespective of their glyphosate resistance status. These tactics of knockdown herbicides, sequential applications and pre‐emergence herbicides should be incorporated into an integrated weed management strategy in order to greatly improve E. colona control, reduce seed production by the sprayed survivors and to minimize the risk of the further development of glyphosate resistance.     

Glyphosate applied at low doses can stimulate plant growth

BACKGROUND: Glyphosate blocks the shikimic acid pathway, inhibiting the production of aromatic amino acids and several secondary compounds derived from these amino acids. Non-target plants can be exposed to low doses of glyphosate by herbicide drift of spray droplets and contact with treated weeds. Previous studies have reported that low doses of glyphosate stimulate growth, although these data are very limited. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of low glyphosate doses on growth of a range of plant species. RESULTS: Growth of maize, conventional soybean, Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden, Pinus caribea L. and Commelia benghalensis L. was enhanced by 1.8-36 g glyphosate ha(-1). Growth of glyphosate-resistant soybean was unaffected by any glyphosate dose from 1.8 to 720 g AE ha(-1). The optimum doses for growth stimulation were distinct for plant species and tissue evaluated. The greatest stimulation of growth was observed for C. benghalensis and P. caribea. Shikimic acid levels in tissues of glyphosate-treated soybean and maize were measured and found to be elevated at growth-stimulating doses. CONCLUSION: Subtoxic doses of glyphosate stimulate the growth of a range of plant species, as measured in several plant organs. This hormesis effect is likely to be related to the molecular target of glyphosate, since the effect was not seen in glyphosate-resistant plants, and shikimate levels were enhanced in plants with stimulated growth.     

Annual beet: Problems and prospects

Annual bolting sugar beets have contaminated fields in England and represent a potential hazard through their seed production capability (up to 150 viable seed/plant), which could make them an important weed in arable crops, and through their pollen production, which could lead to a degeneration in varieties of sugar beet being grown for seed nearby. Although control by rotation and herbicides in other crops are probably the easiest effective control measures, up to 100% reduction in seed production in the sugar beet crop resulted from bolter pulling, topping or treatment with a 100 g a.e./litre glyphosate solution (1 ml/plant) early in July. The glyphosate damaged other plants which it reached. Whichever control method is selected, mechanisation seems possible.     

Weed management on Vertisols for small-scale farmers in Ghana

Vertisols and vertic clays represent a vast crop production resource (300 million hectares world-wide) that is underutilized, mainly because of problems with soil physical characteristics (particularly relating to water) and weeds. These montmorillonitic clays are generally more fertile and have higher water-holding capacities than many tropical soils, but they are difficult to manage as they are very sticky when wet and hard and cloddy when dry. Research in Ghana has shown that it is technically possible to increase crop yields by 90% in normal wet seasons by using raised (camber) beds to control water, but further increases in yield potential are prevented by highpopulations of Cyperus rotundus L. and Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel. These challenges have been addressed by research on farms and on a research station to determine the effectiveness of glyphosate and camber beds for weed and water management and crop production in maize-based farming systems. Field trials have shown that tuber populations of C. rotundus could be reduced by 95% after glyphosate at 1.8 kg a.e. ha-1 was applied at the beginning of four cropping seasons during 1997 and 1998. The combination of glyphosate for weed control and camber beds to shed excess water produced maize grain yields of 3.5 t ha-1 - a significant increase over the typical yields of ～1.0 t ha-1 withtraditional methods ofhoe-weeding onflat land. Economic evaluations have shown that the returns to small-scale farmers could be considerably increased by the use of glyphosate for weed control.     

Contribution of non-agricultural pesticides to pesticide load in surface water

Two small creeks, tributaries of the River Ruhr near Schwerte, Federal Republic of Germany, were investigated to reveal the regional agricultural and non-agricultural sources of pesticide inputs and the main pathways to surface water. In addition, the receiving water was monitored for pesticides. The watersheds are situated at the northern margin of the Rhenian Schiefergebirge, a highland landscape in North-Rhine-Westphalia. Solid carboniferous shale is covered by a shallow layer of quaternary unconsolidated rock (porous aquifer thickness <5 m). Occurrence of herbicides such as chlortoluron, isoproturon and terbuthylazine in surface water could be due to their broad agricultural application in regional dominant crops, such as barley, wheat and maize. Occurrence of diuron and glyphosate results from their use in residential settlements and industrial areas as well as from weed control on railway tracks. Atrazine concentrations up to 0.8 microg litre(-1) indicated recent use of this herbicide, which has been banned since 1991, and was also the result of non-agricultural applications. Pathways for pesticide input to the receiving waters were related to both surface run-off and underground passage. Two-thirds of the observed diuron load in the surface water resulted from an input by run-off. This was expected as a result of total herbicide application targets to sealed surfaces infringing current regulations and recommendations. Diuron load varied between 0.6 and 1.2% of the estimated amount applied annually in the investigated catchments. Non-agricultural pesticide use contributed more than two-thirds of the whole observed pesticide load in the tributaries and at least one-third in the River Ruhr.     

Herbicide loss following application to a railway

Railways have been identified as a potential source of herbicides detected in surface and groundwaters, but there are few data to support this theory. Two studies were undertaken to investigate the fate of herbicides applied to railway trackbeds: a pilot study in a section of a disused, but intact, cutting where runoff and throughflow were sampled from trenches adjacent to the treated area, and a larger scale study on 0.75 km of embankment where surface water from the drainage ditch at the base of the embankment and groundwater were sampled. In the pilot study, peak concentrations of atrazine, diuron and glyphosate (1280, 210 and 15 microg litre(-1) respectively) were detected 6days after treatment (DAT). Oxadiazon, oryzalin and isoxaben were not detected above their limits of quantification. Lower concentrations were detected 81 DAT (10 and 0.8 microg litre(-1) of atrazine and glyphosate respectively). In the larger scale study, herbicides were not detected, in either the surface water or groundwater, at concentrations above the limit of detection that could be attributed to application to the railway. Rainfall volume and depth to sampling point may partly explain the different results obtained from the two studies. The findings are compared with herbicide losses from other 'hard surfaces'.     

Pest and disease control with low doses of pesticides in low and ultralow volumes applied to intensive apple trees

In 3 year field experiments on the development of more economical methods for pest and disease control on intensively planted dessert apple trees, low dose applications of one-tenth of the normal quantities of pesticide in one-hundredth, one-tenth and one-fifth of the normal volumes were compared with conventional high volume spraying at 2250 litres/ha. An experimental tractor-mounted mist blower, a motorised knapsack mist blower and a fan-assisted disc sprayer were each used to apply the pesticides in 225, 45 and 22.5 litres of water/ha. Control of the apple-grass aphid, Rhopalosiphum insertum, obtained by low dose spraying of demeton-S-methyl (8 g a.i./ha) combined with azinphos-methyl (37 g a.i./ha) in 225 and 22.5 litres/ha in 1971 and of fenitrothion (70 g a.i./ha) in 225, 45 and 22.5 litres/ha in 1972 and 1973 was almost equal to that obtained by the conventional high volume method. Low dose applications of benomyl fungicide programmes gave poor control of apple scab, Venturia inaequalis in 1971 when the disease incidence on the fruit was very high at 73%, but in 1972 and 1973, when it was moderately high at 42–45%, control was almost equal to that given by the conventional high volume method. Under these conditions all the low dose methods gave better control with benomyl than with dodine/captan programmes.     

Monitoring glyphosate residues in transgenic glyphosate-resistant soybean

The availability of Roundup Ready (RR) varieties of soybean has increased the use of glyphosate for weed control in Argentina. Glyphosate [(N-phosphonomethyl)glycine] is employed for the eradication of previous crop vegetation and for weed control during the soybean growing cycle. Its action is effective, and low environmental impact has been reported so far. No residues have been observed in soil or water, either of glyphosate or its metabolite, AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid). The objective of this work was to monitor glyphosate and AMPA residues in soybean plants and grains in field crops in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Five sites were monitored in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Individual soybean plants were sampled from emergence to harvest, dried and ground. Analysis consisted in residue extraction with organic solvents and buffers, agitation, centrifugation, clean-up and HPLC with UV detection. In soybean leaves and stems, glyphosate residues ranged from 1.9 to 4.4 mg kg(-1) and from 0.1 to 1.8 mg kg(-1) in grains. Higher concentrations were detected when glyphosate was sprayed several times during the crop cycle, and when treatments approached the flowering stage. AMPA residues were also detected in leaves and in grains, indicating metabolism of the herbicide.     

Modelling the leaching of imazapyr in a railway embankment

The use of herbicides on railway tracks is known to present a risk to groundwater, but little is known of the mechanisms influencing leaching through the coarse material used to construct railway embankments. Therefore, in the present study, four different models based on the convection-dispersion equation (CDE) were compared with previously reported field data on the leaching of imazapyr. In particular, the significance of non-equilibrium processes was investigated by comparing different CDE formulations accounting for preferential finger flow, particle-facilitated transport and kinetic sorption. The traditional CDE assuming 'local equilibrium' based on 24 h batch sorption data gave poor results (model efficiency - 1.1). It strongly underestimated leaching of imazapyr in the first 4 months following application, thus confirming the importance of non-equilibrium transport processes. Accounting for short-term sorption kinetics made little difference, giving similar results to the 'local equilibrium' CDE simulation. A simulation accounting for particle-facilitated transport could accurately match this accelerated transport, and also gave the best overall fit to the data (model efficiency 0.76). However, not even this model could match the long-term retention of imazapyr residues observed close to the soil surface more than 1 year after application, and it also underestimated the time of breakthrough to groundwater. This strongly suggests that a long-term retention/sorption process not included in any of the models tested (i.e. sorption hysteresis or bound residues) acted to retard leaching. The formation of 'protected' residues was also indicated by a much slower degradation of imazapyr more than 1 year after application. Industry.     

Benchmark study on glyphosate-resistant cropping systems in the United States. Part 1: Introduction to 2006-2008

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) crop technology has dramatically impacted agriculture. The adoption of GR systems in canola, maize, cotton, soybean and sugar beets has been widespread in the United States. However, weed scientists are concerned that growers' current herbicide programs and weed management tactics will affect their sustainability and effectiveness. Without proper management, the potential for weed populations to express a high degree of resistance to glyphosate will adversely impact the utility of glyphosate. In 2005, weed scientists from six universities initiated a long-term research study to assess the sustainability of GR technology. This paper introduces five other articles in this series. Over 150 fields of at least 10 ha were selected to participate in a long-term field-scale study, and each field was split in half. On one-half the grower continued using the current weed management program; on the other half the grower used academic-recommended herbicide resistance best management practices. Field data were collected in 2006-2008 to determine the impact of the two weed management programs on weed populations, diversity, seedbank, crop yields and economic returns. This long-term study will provide invaluable data for determining the sustainability and profitability of diversified weed management programs designed to lower the risk of evolving weed resistance to glyphosate.     

Uptake, translocation and phytotoxicity of imazapyr and glyphosate in Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel: effect of herbicide concentration, position of deposit and two methods of direct contact application

The activity of imazapyr and glyphosate against Imperata cylindrica was studied in field and glasshouse experiments using two methods of direct contact application; a rope-wick wiper and a cloth soaked in herbicide solution. The effect of concentration and position of application on herbicide uptake and translocation was also measured. At the lowest dose of imazapyr (5 mg acid equivalent (a.e.) per plant), phytotoxicity was greater from applications by a rope-wick wiper than by a cloth. However, when the dose of imazapyr was increased, the cloth applicator was more effective than the rope-wick wiper. At all doses of glyphosate, rope-wick application was more effective than wiping with a cloth. Herbicide performance in the glasshouse was similar to that in the field. Radiotracer studies showed that increasing the concentration of imazapyr, while keeping herbicide dose constant, decreased uptake and translocation of radiolabel. In contrast, the rate of uptake of ¹⁴C-glyphosate increased with increasing herbicide concentration. Position of application did not significantly affect the amount of uptake and translocation of radiolabel to the rhizomes. It is concluded that rope-wick wipers are more effective than wiping with a cloth for applying imazapyr and glyphosate to I. cylindrica, provided that the concentration of imazapyr does not exceed 10 g a.e. l^?1.