Rootstock resistance to Fusarium wilt and effect on watermelon fruit yield and quality

The potential of grafted watermelon for resistance toFusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum on some Curcurbitaceae,Lagenaria, Luffa, Benincasa and commercial rootstocks was evaluated. Effects of grafting on yield and quality of diseased plants were evaluated. All grafted plants and rootstocks were resistant to the three known races (0, 1, and 2) ofF. oxysporum f.sp.niveum except watermelon cv. ‘Crimson Tide’, which was susceptible to race 2. Fruit yield was positively (21–112%) affected byLagenaria rootstocks but negatively affected (200–267%) byCucurbita rootstocks when compared with the control. While only minor differences in fruit quality were determined in control and grafted plants onLagenaria rootstocks, the quality parameters for watermelon grafted ontoCucurbita rootstocks were lower than in the control. The reasons for low yield and quality might be due to an incompatibility betweenCucurbita rootstocks and watermelon. These results showed that rootstock influence on disease resistance as well as yield and quality of scion fruit is important in determining the potential use of grafting applications in watermelon. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Feb. 2, 2003.     

9种除草剂对花生白绢病菌的影响

在实验室条件下测定了氟乐灵、乙草胺、异丙甲草胺、异恶草酮、乳氟禾草灵、乙氧氟草醚、三氟羧草醚、恶草酮、二甲戊乐灵等9种除草剂对花生白绢病菌Sclerotium rolfsi Sacc.的影响.结果表明:9种除草剂对花生白绢病病菌的毒力有较大差异,三氟羧草醚和乙氧氟草醚的毒力较高,IC50分别为7.88mg·L-1和18.91mg·L-1;9种除草剂对菌丝干重均有抑制作用,且随剂量的升高而升高,乙氧氟草醚和三氟羧草醚抑制作用最明显,在100mg·L-1和50mg·L-1时抑制率均达90%以上;除乙草胺和异丙甲草胺部分剂量外,其他除草剂对菌核数量均有不同程度的抑制作用,三氟羧草醚作用最为明显,在供试剂量下抑制率均达96%以上;除乙草胺、氟乐灵在供试剂量下对菌核单重有抑制作用外,其他除草剂在多数剂量下对菌核单重均有刺激作用,三氟羧草醚在50mg·L-1时,是对照菌核单重的8.34倍;而各种除草剂在供试剂量下,对菌核萌发均没有影响.     

Absorption,translocation, and metabolism of ethalfluralin and trifluralin in Solanum spp

Seedlings of Solanum scabrum Mill. and Solanum ptycanthum Dun. were treated with [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin (N-ethyl-α,α,α-trifluoro-N-(methylallyl)-2,6-dinitro-p-toluidine) and [¹⁴C]trifluralin (α,α,α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine) supplied in nutrient solution to determine the basis for differences in response by these two species to these two herbicides. Plants of S. scabrum absorbed more [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin and [¹⁴C]trifluralin than plants of S. ptycanthum. During the first 24 h, S. scabrum seedlings, but not S. ptycanthum seedlings absorbed more [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin than did plants treated with [¹⁴C]trifluralin. More [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin than [¹⁴C]trifluralin was found in the shoots of plants of both species. Seventy-two hours after treatment with [¹⁴C]herbicides, the conversion to water-soluble metabolites was greater for [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin than for [¹⁴C]trifluralin. In the shoots of plants from both species an average of nearly 55% of the ¹⁴C recovered was found in the water-soluble fraction following [¹⁴C]ethalfluralin treatment whereas an average of only 40% was found in the water-soluble fraction following [¹⁴C]trifluralin treatment.     

Chemical control of herbicide-resistant Lolium rigidum Gaud. in north-eastern Spain

BACKGROUND: Lolium rigidum Gaud. is one of the most common weed species in winter cereals in north‐eastern Spain, with populations that have evolved resistance to herbicides becoming more widespread since the mid‐1990s. Nine trials on commercial fields with herbicide‐resistant L. rigidum were conducted during the cropping seasons 2001–2002 to 2003–2004, testing the efficacy of 20 herbicides and mixtures pre‐ and post‐emergence and as sequential applications. Weed populations chosen had different resistance patterns to chlortoluron, chlorsulfuron, diclofop‐methyl and tralkoxydim, representative of the resistance problems faced by farmers. RESULTS: In pre‐emergence, prosulfocarb mixed with trifluralin, chlortoluron or triasulfuron was effective on six populations. In post‐emergence, iodosulfuron alone or mixed with mesosulfuron gave the best results but did not control three resistant populations. At Ferran 1, none of the herbicide combinations reached 90% efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The diverse efficacy patterns of the different populations demonstrate the need for detailed knowledge of the populations before using herbicides. Moreover, the unexpected insufficient efficacy of the new herbicide iodosulfuron prior to its field use shows the need to combine herbicides with other non‐chemical weed control methods to control resistant L. rigidum in north‐eastern Spain. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

云南省保山市烤烟地杂草种类与化学防除

调查了保山市烤烟地杂草分属35个科,计136种。本文记录了各种杂草的生活周期、生态特性;研究了砜嘧磺隆(rimsulfuron)、异丙甲草胺(metolachlor)、乙氧氟草醚(oxyfluorfen)、敌草胺(napropamide)、丁草胺(buta-chlor)、仲丁灵(butralin)、草甘膦(glyphosate)、五氟磺草胺(penoxsulam)、仲灵·异噁松(clomazone·Butralin)、苄·乙(bensulfuron-methyl,acetochlor)等10余种除草剂的使用技术关键,并成功地将砜嘧磺隆、异丙甲草胺等应用于烤烟地化学除草,累计推广面积4.6147万hm2,平均除草效果达80%～90%。     

Weed hosts of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium dahliae</Emphasis> in cotton fields in Turkey and characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">V. dahliae</Emphasis> isolates from weeds

A weed survey conducted in 2004 and 2005 in Aydin province of Turkey showed that Solanum nigrum, Xanthium strumarium, Amaranthus retroflexus, Portulaca oleracea, Sonchus oleraceus and Datura stramonium were the most prevalent weeds in the cotton fields exhibiting Verticillium wilt. Verticillium dahliae Kleb. was recovered from A. retroflexus and X. strumarium in those cotton fields. This is the first report of V. dahliae occurring naturally in A. retroflexus in Turkey. Pathogenicity tests on cotton and weeds showed that the virulence of V. dahliae isolates from weeds was higher on cotton plants than on weeds, with the disease severity ranging from 31.7% to 98.0%. Disease severity of V. dahliae isolates was 54.7–93.9% on eggplant, 23.7–51.6% on cucumber and 11.0–16.4% on tomato, whereas it did not cause any disease symptoms, or only low levels, on pepper and bell pepper. Two vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) were identified among seven tested weed isolates: VCG2A (two isolates) and VCG2B (three isolates) using international reference strains.     

Phytotoxicity of trifluoromethyl- and methyl-substituted dinitroaniline herbicides on resistant and susceptible populations of black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides)

A Petri-dish assay was used to determine the phytotoxicities of the dinitroaniline herbicides pendimethalin, trifluralin, benfluralin and ethalfluralin, and the methyl-substituted analogues of the last three herbicides, on susceptible (Rothamsted) and multiple-herbicide resistant (Peldon) populations of blackgrass Alopecurus myosuroides Huds. The Peldon population showed a high degree of resistance to pendimethalin, which possesses a 3,4-dimethyl substitution. The two populations were equally sensitive to trifluralin, benfluralin and ethalfluralin which do not possess ring-methyl groups but contain a 4-trifluoromethyl group. Substitution of the 4-trifluoromethyl with a methyl group, as demonstrated by the analogues, reduced phytotoxicity, but to a much greater degree in Peldon than in the Rothamsted population. The study indicates that resistance to pendimethalin in the Peldon population is attributable to an oxidative degradation of the 4-methyl group, analogous to that which occurs with resistance to chlorotoluron. The lack of cross-resistance to the other dinitroaniline herbicides appears to be due to the absence of ring-methyl or other groups which are vulnerable to oxidative degradation, trifluoromethyl groups being particularly resistant to this form of reaction.     

Bacterial fruit blotch of melon: screens for disease tolerance and role of seed transmission in pathogenicity

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits, caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli, is a serious threat to the watermelon and melon industries. To date, there are no commercial cultivars of cucurbit crops resistant to the disease. Here we assessed the level of tolerance to bacterial fruit blotch of various commercial cultivars as well as breeding and wild lines of melon, using seed-transmission assays and seedling-inoculation experiments. Selected cultivars were also tested in a greenhouse experiment with mature plants. All tested cultivars/lines were found to be susceptible to the pathogen, and most of them showed different responses (relative tolerance vs. susceptibility) in the different assays; however, some consistent trends were found: cv. ADIR339 was relatively tolerant in all tested assays, and cv. 6407 and wild lines BLB-B and EAD-B were relatively tolerant in seed-transmission assays. We also provide evidence supporting a strong correlation between the level of susceptibility of a cultivar/line and the ability of the pathogen to adhere to or penetrate the seed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to assess melon cultivars/lines for bacterial fruit blotch response.     

除草剂对小麦田雀麦的生物活性测定

为筛选防除雀麦Bromus japonicus的高效除草剂,采用室内生物测定法研究了13种除草剂对雀麦的除草活性及5种除草剂的田间药效试验。结果表明,在田间推荐剂量的低剂量下,氟唑磺隆、啶磺草胺、氟噻草胺、甲基二磺隆、异丙隆、磺酰磺隆、丙苯磺隆7种除草剂对雀麦具有很高的防除效果,21 d鲜重抑制率分别为88.30%、86.32%、83.97%、78.47%、76.76%、72.83%、71.39%,高剂量下的21 d鲜重抑制率达98.57%、95.36%、91.58%、91.46%、89.47%、82.48%、82.20%;其中氟唑磺隆各剂量下的防效较其它除草剂高。而嘧啶肟草醚、苯唑草酮、炔草酯、吡氟酰草胺、唑啉草酯、精噁唑禾草灵6种除草剂对雀麦防效较差。氟唑磺隆、啶磺草胺、氟噻草胺、甲基二磺隆、异丙隆5种除草剂的田间药效试验表明,氟唑磺隆对雀麦防效最高,高剂量下20 d株防效达85.04%,药后40 d株防效和鲜重防效分别达83.94%和84.17%,未见小麦有明显药害症状,建议田间推荐用量为21.00~42.00 g(a.i.)/hm~2。表明雀麦对不同除草剂的敏感性存在差异,在供试的13种除草剂中氟唑磺隆对雀麦防效最高,较为安全,为防除雀麦的理想除草剂。     

Cyperus esculentus L. — A new weed in Israel

Cyperus esculentus L., a cosmopolitan noxious weed, has been recorded for the first time in an agricultural irrigated field in Israel. Hand-weeding, herbicides and soil disinfestation methods were only partially effective in controlling the weed. The distribution map of the weed is unknown, and it is unclear how the weed has been introduced into Israel. We estimate thatC. esculentus has a high risk potential to spread further and cause damage to Israeli agriculture, and therefore its spread should be restricted. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting May 18, 2005.     

Effects of repeated applications of ten soil-active herbicides on weed population,residue accumulation and nitrification*

Ten herbicides, bromacil, chlorthal-dimethyl, diphenamid, diuron, fluometuron, neburon, prometryne, pyrazon, simazine and trifluralin at two doses were repeatedly sprayed, in autumn and in spring, for 4 consecutive years on non-cultivated, sprinkler-irrigated field plots. Herbicidal effect was assessed at 1–2 month intervals on the natural weed population and after each observation a paraquat + diquat spray destroyed emerged weeds. The response of various weed species to herbicides varied markedly but a herbicide-induced shift in the composition of weed population did not occur, presumably because of the paraquat treatment. The overall phytotoxicity to weeds present was, in decreasing order: diuron, bromacil, simazine, trifluralin, prometryne, neburon, fluometuron, pyrazon, diphenamid, chlorthal-dimethyl. Persistence of herbicides was in decreasing order: diuron = bromacil, simazine, neburon (at higher rate), fluometuron, trifluralin, prometryne. Control produced by pyrazon improved with the number of applications, but that of diphenamid and chlorthal-dimethyl remained weak and short. After repeated applications, the activity of these herbicides increased or remained at similar level, but in no case decreased. Soil samples were taken 5 months after each application and bioassayed. Phytotoxic residues were detected beneath the disturbed top-soil from bromacil, diuron, fluometuron and simazine after the first application, and from neburon after the second application; residues from trifluralin were found in the top soil only after the fifth application. After the seventh spraying, residues of bromacil were found in the 45–60-cm soil layer. Ammonia content in soil samples taken from treated plots after the fourth, sixth and seventh application was generally similar to the untreated control. In these samples, nitrate content appeared to be correlated negatively with remaining weed number; the control thus contained less nitrate than efficient herbicidal treatments. Soil samples taken after the seventh application of bromacil, diuron, fluometuron, neburon and simazine, which contained appreciable residual concentrations, did not show significant differences from control, in an in vitro nitrification test.     

Effect of weed control treatments on weeds, seed yield, yield components and nodulation in winter lentil

Good weed control is critical in winter lentil production. This study was conducted on the lentil cultivar Sazak 91 during the winter seasons of 1997–98 and 1998–99 to determine the most appropriate method for controlling weeds. Hand weeding (weed‐free control), weedy control (inoculated), weedy control (uninoculated), hand hoeing once, hand hoeing twice, trifluralin, imazethapyr, linuron, prometryn, phenmedipham + desmedipham, trifluralin + hand hoeing and linuron + hand hoeing treatments were evaluated and the effects of herbicides on nodulation in lentil were investigated. In the first year Convolvulus arvensis, Centaurea balsamita, Ranunculus arvensis, Cephalaria syriaca and Lathyrus spp., dominated whereas in the second year Hordeum vulgare, Adonis aestivalis and Centaurea depressa were the dominant weed species in the plots. Prometryn, hand hoeing, linuron and a combination of linuron + hand hoeing were found to be the most effective for control of weeds, resulting in the highest yield in winter lentil throughout the investigation. Trifluralin and imazethapyr had a phytotoxic effect on the lentil plants. None of the weed control treatments had any adverse effects on nodulation and Rhizobium leguminosarum inoculation was not found to have any effect on the competitive ability of the lentil plants.     

二甲戊灵和乙氧氟草醚在生姜上的残留分析及土壤中的消解动态

建立了气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）同时测定二甲戊灵和乙氧氟草醚在生姜、茎秆和土壤中残留量的分析方法,并采用该方法研究了两种农药在土壤中的消解动态及在土壤和生姜中的最终残留。样品前处理采用QuEChERS法,经乙腈提取,姜块和茎秆提取液分别用N-丙基乙二胺（PSA）和石墨化碳黑（GCB）净化,土壤提取液用弗罗里硅土柱净化,选择离子监测模式（SIM）扫描,外标峰面积法定量。结果表明:当添加水平为0.01~0.5 mg/kg时,二甲戊灵在生姜、茎秆和土壤中的回收率分别为91%~100%、90%~98%和86%~100%,相对标准偏差（RSD）分别为3.2%~3.7%、2.7%~4.2%和3.2%~5.1%;乙氧氟草醚在生姜、茎秆和土壤中的回收率分别为90%~95%、86%~91%和85%~95%,RSD分别为2.4%~4.4%、3.9%~5.5%和2.3%~4.9%;样品中二甲戊灵和乙氧氟草醚的定量限（LOQ）均为0.01 mg/kg。二甲戊灵在土壤中的消解半衰期在12.5~20.5 d之间,乙氧氟草醚在18.8~25.6 d之间。采用33%二甲戊灵乳油和24%乙氧氟草醚乳油混剂分别按推荐剂量（有效成分693 g/hm2和72 g/hm2）和高剂量（有效成分1 039 g/hm2和108 g/hm2）于种植后施药1次,在生姜收获期的姜块中均未检出二甲戊灵和乙氧氟草醚残留。研究结果可为二甲戊灵和乙氧氟草醚在生姜上的合理使用及其最大允许残留限量（MRL）标准制定提供参考。     

Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae race 1, a potential pathogen of grafted watermelon production in Spain*

A crown, root and fruit rot of squash (Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata) has been observed in eastern provinces of Spain over the past 4 years. Isolations from the crown of symptomatic plants and fruits yielded primarily a Fusarium solani that was identified as F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae race 1 on the basis of pathogenicity tests and disease symptoms in the field. In Spain, more than 90% of watermelon plants are grafted, using different Cucurbita hybrids (C. maxima × C. moschata) as rootstocks. In 1998, some grafted watermelon plants were first found to be affected by F. s. cucurbitae race 1. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pathogenicity of this fungus on several rootstocks commonly used for grafting watermelon (Brava, Titan, Shintoza, RS‐841, TZ‐148 and TW‐1) in order to prevent a possible spread of this fungus that could cause serious economic losses in watermelon production. None of them proved to be resistant.     

Characterisation of Czech arable weed communities according to management and production area considering the prevalence of herbicide-resistant species

Herbicide resistance is a widespread issue that impacts management of conventional farms, but also has ramifications for the weed community assembly; it is therefore important to see how these species factor into the weed community assembly of farms throughout the countryside. This research analysed species richness and community diversity in 98 field relevés from 48 organic and 50 conventional farms evenly distributed between two major production regions of the Czech Republic and then evaluated the incidence of species which have been reported resistant in the Czech Republic and its neighbouring countries. Farms were selected independently of any acknowledged resistant species. Out of 164 species found in this survey, only eight species have had herbicide-resistant biotypes reported in the Czech Republic, while a total of 19 species had herbicide-resistant biotypes reported in neighbouring countries. Species with recorded resistance to PSII inhibitors in the Czech Republic tended to be found together and were mostly associated with the beet production region, characterised by low altitude: Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Echinochloa crus-galli and Solanum nigrum. Species with reported resistance to ALS and ACCase-inhibiting herbicides were not clearly associated with a particular region or farming type. Of the species which have had reported herbicide resistance in the neighbouring countries, several were found in conventional fields within the growing season and we recommend immediate screening for herbicide resistance in these species and more diligent action in management according to anti-resistance strategies: Bromus sterilis resistant to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides, A. retroflexus resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides or Avena fatua resistant to ACCase and ALS-inhibiting herbicides. This work is unique in that it is evaluating weed species diversity in organic and conventional farms and using the context to frame the prevalence of high-risk herbicide-resistant species; thereby putting the potential incidence of herbicide resistance into perspective at the landscape level.     

丙炔氟草胺除草活性及对棉花的安全性

丙炔氟草胺是一种以原卟啉原氧化酶为作用标靶的N-苯基肽酰亚胺类除草剂。为探究其在棉花田的应用前景,通过温室盆栽法对丙炔氟草胺的杀草谱、除草活性及其对棉花的安全性进行了测定。结果表明:丙炔氟草胺对棉田常见阔叶杂草有较好防效,处理剂量为有效成分15 g/hm2时,对马齿苋Portulaca oleracea、反枝苋Amaranthus retroflexus、藜Chenopodium album、小藜Chenopodium serotinum和鳢肠Eclipta prostrata的鲜重防效均高于90%,对野油菜Rorippa indica、苣荬菜Sonchus arvensis、小飞蓬Conyza canadensis、龙葵Solanum nigrum、马唐Digitaria sanguinalis和牛筋草Eleusine indica等的鲜重防效高于80%;丙炔氟草胺对棉田4种常见阔叶杂草马齿苋、反枝苋、龙葵和藜的除草活性均显著高于二甲戊灵;丙炔氟草胺在鲁棉研28号与马齿苋、反枝苋、龙葵和藜之间的选择性指数依次为79.1、38.1、32.1和112.6,均显著高于二甲戊灵的12.0、9.9、5.8和9.2;鲁棉研37号、鑫秋4号与杂草间的选择性指数,与鲁棉研28号的相近。试验结果表明,丙炔氟草胺可作为棉田苗前防除阔叶杂草的候选药剂之一。     

Measurement and modelling of glyphosate fate compared with that of herbicides replaced as a result of the introduction of glyphosate-resistant oilseed rape

BACKGROUND: Crops resistant to glyphosate may mitigate the increasing contamination of the environment by herbicides, since their weeding requires smaller amounts of herbicides and fewer active ingredients. However, there are few published data comparing the fate of glyphosate with that of substitute herbicides under similar soil and climatic conditions. The objectives of the work reported here were (i) to evaluate and compare the fate in soil in field conditions of glyphosate, as used on glyphosate-resistant oilseed rape, with that of two herbicides frequently used for weed control on the same crop, albeit non-resistant: trifluralin and metazachlor, and (ii) to compare field results with predictions of the pesticide root zone model (PRZM), parameterized with laboratory data. Dissipation and vertical distribution in the soil profile of glyphosate, trifluralin and metazachlor were monitored in an experimental site located in Eastern France for 1 year. RESULTS: Herbicide persistence in the field increased as follows: metazachlor < glyphosate < trifluralin, contrary to laboratory results showing glyphosate to be least persistent. The main metabolite of glyphosate-aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA)-was more persistent than glyphosate. AMPA and trifluralin had the largest vertical mobility, followed by metazachlor and glyphosate. PRZM underestimated the dissipation rate of glyphosate in the field and the formation of AMPA, but its predictions for trifluralin and metazachlor were correct. The simulation of herbicides and AMPA distribution in the soil profile was satisfactory, but the mobility of trifluralin and metazachlor was slightly underestimated, probably because PRZM ignores preferential flow. In general, data from the laboratory allowed an acceptable parameterization of the model, as indicated by goodness-of-fit indices. CONCLUSION: Because of the detection of AMPA in the deep soil layer, the replacement of both trifluralin and metazachlor with glyphosate might not contribute to decreasing environmental contamination by herbicides. PRZM may be used to evaluate and to compare other weed control strategies for herbicide-resistant as well as non-resistant crops.     

Weed Control Efficacy: Response of Chickpea to Pre- and Post-Emergence Herbicides

Lack of control options for cool-season broadleaf weeds is a major deterrent to autumn-sown chickpea. Weed control and chickpea tolerance to PRE (pre-emergence) and POST (post-emergence) application of isoxaflutole and oxyflurofen, PRE metribuzin, POST pyridate, and flumetsulam were investigated at three locations, including Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Hamedan provinces during 2017–2018. Untreated and weed-free checks were added for comparison. Pyridate and PRE oxyflurofen 125?g ai ha^?1 caused the minor visual crop injury according to EWRS score (1–1.8), while the highest crop injury occurred with metribuzin (EWRS score 3.5–8.5) in whole locations. The most effective herbicides for weed reduction were pyridate (70–75%), PRE oxyfluorfen (69–76%), and POST oxyfluorfen (65–73%) at Kermanshah, PRE oxyfluorfen at 125 and 175?g ai ha^?1 (70–78%), POST oxyfluorfen (70–76%) and pyridate (70–78%) at Kurdistan, PRE oxyfluorfen at 125 and 175?g ai ha^?1 (88–96%), metribuzin (91–100%) and Pyridate (80–97%) at Hamedan. Pyridate and PRE oxyfluorfen at 125?g ai ha^?1 resulted in the highest chickpea grain yield at the three locations. In general, PRE oxyfluorfen (125?g ai ha^?1) was similar to pyridate in terms of efficacy in weed control and grain yield enhancement.

     

Weeds and weed management in irrigated lentil in northern Sudan

Weeds are a major constraint to increasing production of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) in Sudan, Field studies were conducted to determine the yield loss due to weeds, to identify the critical period of weed interference, to evaluate the activity of different herbicide mixtures in controlting weeds and their selectivity for lentil, and to evaluate different methods of weed control for developing an integrated weed management practice. At Rubatab. unrestricted weed growth accounted for up to 84% loss in yield. The critical period of weed control was between 2 and 4 weeks after sowing. However, a weeding regime experiment at Dongola, a cooler location with a longer growing season, indicated that the critical period was between 4 and 6 weeks after sowing. suggesting that the critical period might vary with the environmental conditions. The herbicides imazethapyr (0.05 kg a.i. ha^-1), terbutryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) and prometryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1), each in a tank mixture with pendimethalin (1.2 kg a.i. ha^-1), were tolerated by lentil, controlled weeds effectively and significantly increased yields at Wad Hamid. Their efficacy in controlling weeds at Rubatab was low, however, because of the presence of Tephrosia apollinea (Del.) DC. and Melilotus indica (L.) All., which tolerated these herbicides. Efficacy was also reduced in heavier soils. One supplementary hand-weeding at 4 weeks after sowing enhanced the performance of these herbicides under such conditions. A tank mixture of oxyfluorfen (0.24 kg a.i. ha^-1) with either terbutryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) or prometryn (1.0 kg a.i. ha^-1) also provided good weed control and increased yield of lentil at Wad Hamid. Application of a higher dose (1.5 kg a.i. ha^-1) of terbutryn and prometryn caused phytotoxicity. Irrigation before seed-bed preparation reduced grass and broad-leaved weeds by 58% and 40% respectively, and gave a 30% increase in grain yield over no irrigation. Pre-emergence application of oxyfluorfen (0.24 kg a.i. ha^-1) and a supplementary hand-weeding at 4 weeks after sowing gave excellent control of weeds and increased lentil yield by 57% over the weedy control. Thus, use of presowing irrigation, pre-emergence herbicide and one hand-weeding form an effective integrated package for controiling weeds in northern Sudan.     

Frequency and distribution of herbicide resistance in Raphanus raphanistrum populations randomly collected across the Western Australian wheatbelt

In 2003, a random survey was conducted across the Western Australian wheatbelt to establish the extent and frequency of herbicide resistance in Raphanus raphanistrum populations infesting crop fields. Five hundred cropping fields were visited, with 90 R. raphanistrum populations collected, representative of populations present in crop fields throughout the Western Australian wheatbelt. Collected populations were screened with four herbicides of various modes of action that are commonly used for the control of this weed. The majority of Western Australian R. raphanistrum populations were found to contain plants resistant to the acetolactate synthase (ALS)‐inhibiting herbicide chlorsulfuron (54%) and auxin analogue herbicide, 2,4‐D amine (60%). This survey also determined that over half (58%) of these populations were multiple resistant across at least two of the four herbicide modes of action used in the screening. Only 17% of R. raphanistrum populations have retained their initial status of susceptibility to all four herbicides. The distribution patterns of the herbicide‐resistant populations identified that there were higher frequencies of resistant and developing resistance populations occurring in the intensively cropped northern regions of the wheatbelt. These results clearly indicate that the reliance on herbicidal weed control in cropping systems based on reduced tillage and stubble retention will lead to higher frequencies of herbicide‐resistant weed populations. Therefore, within intensive crop production systems, there is a need to diversify weed management strategies and not rely entirely on too few herbicide control options.