AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONTROL OF PASPALUM CONJUGATUM WITH AMITROLE-T AND PARAQUAT

Summary. Paraquat, amitrole-T and disodiumn methylarsonate (DMA) were evaluated for the control of the stoloniferous grass Paspalum conjugatum in young rubber plantations in Malaya. The herbicides were tested alone, in mixtures and in split applications. Paraquat at 0–5 lb/ac gave good initial desiccation but regeneration was extremely rapid and repeated sprays of 0–25 lb/ac were required for a long period of suppression. Amitrole-T at 15 lb/ac was very slow to act but gave complete kill after 10 weeks. DMA at 8–12 lb/ac gave marked suppression, but regeneration rapidly developed after 8 weeks. Mixtures of either amitrole-T or DMA with paraquat gave less than the expected additive effects of the components, indicating an antagonistic action. Sub-lethal rates of amitrole-T or DMA applied to regenerating shoots after paraquat treatment gave results inferior to those from higher rates of the herbicides alone.
When paraquat was applied 2 weeks after an initial sub-lethal dose (0.375 lb/ac) of amitrole-T, desiccation was rapid and complete eradication was achieved; this did not occur when a low rate of DMA was used as the first spray. In terms of both speed of kill and final effect, a split application of a low rate of amitrole-T followed by paraquat was the most effective treatment. A possible explanation of the apparent synergism between amitrole-T and paraquat applied in this way is advanced and suggestions for further work outlined.
Une méthode améliorée pour la lutte centre Paspalum conjugatum avoc l'amitrole-T et le paraquat     

FACTORS AFFECTING PERSISTENCE AND INACTIVATION OF DIQUAT AND PARAQUAT

Summary. The adsorption of diquat cation was found to be 0.3, 2.0–2.5 and 80–100 mg/g on a sandy loam soil, Grade Hydrite 10 Georgia kaolinite and National Standard Bentonite, respectively. Bentonite (113 lb/surface ac) applied to plastic pools previously treated with 1 ppm paraquat reduced the concentration of paraquat to less than 0–05 ppm within 24 hr of application. Only bentonite appeared to hold either diquat or paraquat in a form unavailable to wheat. Appreciable uptake by wheat from soil treated with diquat or paraquat (16 lb/ac pre-emergence) occurred only in soil or sand in which the herbicide leached below the 05 in. zone. A 12 hr dark period following foliage application did not appear to enhance movement of either herbicide in wheat. Loss of radioactivity was observed when diquat or paraquat was exposed to ultraviolet light (2537 Å).
Facteurs agissant sur la persistence et l'inactivation du diquat et du paraquat     

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF FERTILE SPARTINA TOWNSENDII (S.L.) ON THE CHESHIRE SHORE OF THE DEE ESTUARY I. FIELD TRIALS ON SPARTINA SWARD

Summary. Trials with dalapon, paraquat and fenuron in 1963 and 1964, and with bromacil and amitrole-T in 1964, were carried out on mature Spartina sward. Dalapon, paraquat and fenuron all gave complete kill on some plots in 1963. In 1964, paraquat gave variable results and lower percentage kills than in 1963, whereas dalapon and fenuron were more consistent. Fenuron allowed a greater degree of regeneration than dalapon and was uneconomic at the high dose (60 lb/ac) required for complete kill. Dalapon gave the best results and with 100 lb/ac there was 98–100% kill 2 years after treatment. At 50 lb/ac results were initially good, but there was more regeneration in the second season after spraying. Bromacil at 5 and 20 lb/ac and a mixture of 5 lb/ac bromacil and 4 lb/ac amitrole-T maintained more than 99% kill lor 2 years after application.
La lutte chimique contre les formes fertiles de Spartina townsendii (s.l.) sur la cóte du Cheshire dans l'esluaire de la Dee I. Essais au champ sur des pelouses de Spartina     

SELECTIVE HERBICIDAL CONTROL OF BARLEY GRASS IN PASTURE AND LUCERNE

Summary. Comparative experimental results with dalapon-sodium and paraquat for the control of barley grass ( Hordeum leporinum Link) in lucene and subterranean clover pasture are reported. Sprays were applied 3–4 days after a simulated grazing.
At all rates tested (1–4 lb/ac), dalapon provided satisfactory control of, but did not eradicate, barley grass. Subterranean clover productivity was reduced substantially whether application was in May or July; lucerne growth was retarded by 4 lb/ac applied in July.
Paraquat applied at 0.06–0.25 lb/ac in May gave similar but somewhat less effective control than did dalapon. Some re-establishment of barley grass occurred as a result of late germinations following the May applications. Paraquat applied in July at 0.06 lb/ac gave unsatisfactory results, but at 0.12 and 0.25 lb/ac the control was comparable with that given by dalapon. Subterranean clover was damaged slightly by the May treatments but recovered quickly, after initial scorching, following applications in July. Lucerne was neither damaged nor retarded by paraquat.
The addition ofa wetting agent increased the efficacy of paraquat in controlling certain more tolerant annual grasses, but not barley grass.
Désherbage sélectif des pâtures ft des luzernes: lutte contre l'orge des lièvres     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE EFFECT OF HERBICIDES ON YOUNG COCONUTS

Summary. Phytotoxic effects of eight herbicides on young coconuts were assessed by recording visual symptoms of injury and growth following treatment. The growth-regulators 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T and MCPB were lethal at the normal doses used for annual weed control. Dalapon at 5–9 lb/ac applied in 100 gal/ac of water caused yellowing and necrosis of the foliage, reduced growth, and sometimes killed the whole plant, while doses down to 2.2 lb/ac caused some fusion of the pinnae. Monuron at 3.2 and 6.4 lb/ac resulted in serious frond damage and reduced growth, and some frond injury occurred at 1–6 lb/ac. Diquat at 0.25–1.0 lb/ac and paraquat at 1.0–l.5 lb/ac caused extensive necrosis of existing fronds but there was no appreciable reduction in new growth. Amitrole produced considerable chlorosis both at 3.1 and G.3 lb/ac, but only the higher dose caused a reduction in growth.
Essai d'herbicides sur jeunes cocotiers     

Influence of light on paraquat activity in the tropics

The effect of light on the herbicidal acitivity of paraquat on the tropical perennial weed paspalum conjugatum has been studied in rubber and oil-palm plantations in Malaya. Results showed that paraquat (at 0.5 ib/acre; gave a more rapid desiccation when applied in full sunlight but gave more persistent control when applied under the 70% shade of older trees or in the evening compared with other times of day. A simlar two-fold improvement in the duration of weed control was achieved by the addition of the photosynthetic inhibitor bromacil (at 0.25 ib/acre) to paraquat. The response to the mixture suggested a synergistic reaction between the two compounds.     

Applying the double knock technique to control Conyza bonariensis

Sequential applications of glyphosate followed by another postemergent herbicide, known as the "double knock" technique, were trialled for their effectiveness in controlling Conyza bonariensis . Combinations of glyphosate with and without 2,4-D followed by paraquat plus diquat, paraquat, or 2,4-D were tested at a range of follow-up application times in two field and two pot experiments. The results showed that paraquat plus diquat or paraquat following glyphosate or glyphosate plus 2,4-D provided highly effective weed control compared to glyphosate alone. The optimum timing for follow-up applications of paraquat or paraquat plus diquat was between 5 and 7 days after the initial glyphosate application. Combined applications of glyphosate and 2,4-D, compared to split applications, were not significantly different. However, following glyphosate application with 2,4-D >1 day later considerably reduced the level of control. This study showed that the double knock technique is highly effective in controlling C. bonariensis and is rapidly becoming an important tool in the management of this problem weed.     

THE SYNERGISTIC ACTION OF HERBICIDE COMBINATIONS CONTAINING PARAQUAT ON AGROPYRON REPENS (L.) BEAUV.*

Summary. Herbicide combinations containing paraquat were synergistic and provided control of established Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv. (quackgrass) sods for the entire growing season. Paraquat applied at 0–5 lb/ac with simazine or diuron at 4–0 lb/ac was more phytotoxic than either herbicide applied singly and the enhanced activity was more than additive. This synergism was not due to increased absorption or translocation of either herbicide in aerial portions of the plant. Paraquat applied to the shoot increased the susceptibility of quackgrass to simazine action through the soil. Pre-treatment of quackgrass with aminotriazole or amitrole-T at 10 lb/ac 7 days before paraquat application at 0–5 lb/ac provided increased toxicity over that obtained when the two herbicides were applied together or singly. Subsequent studies indicated that aminotriazole applications prior to shoot destruction by either paraquat or clipping resulted in more chronic aminotriazole toxicity. Using methyl-¹⁴C-paraquat it was found that aminotriazole pre-loading also increased the movement of paraquat in and out of the treated leaf. This increase was even more pronounced with amitrole-T. When the two herbicides were applied together, antagonism in absorption and translocation occurred. Action synergique de combinaisons d'herbicides comprenant du paraquat sur Agropyron repens (L.) Beauv.     

EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL ON THE GROWTH PATTERNS OF CONIFER TRANSPLANTS

Summary. Studies were undertaken to determine the tolerance of three conifer species to repeated applications of several herbicides over a 2-year period and the degree of weed control required to obtain optimal growth.
The results indicated that: (1) 60% or more weed control was required to obtain optimal growth of Picea glauca (Moench) Voss and P. pungens Engelm., while Pinus sylvestris L. showed optimal growth with average weed control as low as 40%; (2) weed competition did not affect the percentage survival of any of the three species under irrigated nursery conditions; (3) absence of visual injury symptoms was not an indication of the tolerance of a species to a herbicide; (4) severe weed competition caused an overall reduction in growth with significant reductions in stem diameter and in height and fresh weight of shoots; (5) herbicidal toxicity caused reductions in height, fresh weight or stem diameter but not necessarily of all three; (6) initial survival was affected only by those herbicides that were highly toxic at the doses applied; and (7) significant differences in growth, due either to weed competition or to herbicidal toxicity were apparent, in most instances, after the 2nd year's growth.
The treatments that gave 70% or more control each year with no apparent growth retardation over the 2-year period of the three species tested were: single yearly applications of neburon 4 lb/ac or linuron 2 lb/ac, two applications each year of DCPA (dimethyl 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroterephthalate) 10 lb/ac and directed application of sodium pentachlorophenate 15 lb/ac.     

CHEMICAL CONTROL OF IMPERATA CYLINDRICA (L.) BEAUV. IN MALAYSIA*

Summary. Paraquat-based treatments were evaluated for the control of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv., a perennial grass with extensive rhizomes of great regenerative power. Single applications of 0–5 lb/ac paraquat gave good initial control, but regeneration was rapid. Increases up to 2–0 lb/ac had little effect on the duration of control, nor did the volume rate from 40 to 120 gal/ac. When an initial application of 05 lb/ac was followed by two further applications of 0–25 lb/ac, when the level of control had decreased to 50%, lasting control was obtained. Application of 6–8 lb/ac dalapon followed by 0–25 lb/ac paraquat also gave good control, comparable with that achieved by the conventional treatment of dalapon alone at 15–20 lb/ac. La lutte chimique contre Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. en Malaisie Résumé. Des traitements utilisant le paraquat ont étè essayés pour lutter contre Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv., graminée pérenne avec des rhizomes importants qui manifestent un pouvoir de régénération élevé, Des applications uniques de paraquat à la dose 0,56 kg/ha ement un bon eifel initial mais la régéneration fut rapide. L'accroissement de la dose jusquà 2,2 kg/ha n'eut qu'une faible incidence sur la durée de l'action herbicide, l'augmentation du volume de traitement de 450 à 1350 1/ha ne provoqua pas non plus d'augmentation de I'efficacité. Une seule application de paraquat à 0,56 kg/ha, quand le niveau de I'efficacité eut décru jusquà 50%, suivie de deux applications supplémen-taires à 0,275 kg/ha, donna une efficacité plus durable. Des applications de dalapon de 6,7 à 9,0 kg/ha suivies de traitements au paraquat à 0,275 kg/ha donnèerent un résultat aussi bon que celui obtenu par les traitements habituels au dalapon seul, à la dose dc 16 à 22 kg/ha. Chemisehe Bekampfung von Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. in Malaysia Zusammenfassung. Es erfolgten Untersuchungen zur Bekämpfung von Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv., einem mehrjährigen Gras mit einem ausgedehnten Rhizomsystem und starker Regenerationskraft, mit Paraquat, Einmalige Applikation von 0,56 kg/ha Paraquat hatte zwar eine gute Anfangswirkung, doch erfolgte rasche Regeneration. Eine Erhöhung bis auf 2,2 kg/ha war ebenso wie eine Änderung der Spritzbrühmenge von ca 450–1350 I/ha von geringem Einfluss auf die Nachhaltigkeit der Bekämpfungs-massnahmen. Eine einmalige Anwendung von 0,56 kg/ha Paraquat gefolgt von zwei weiteren Applikationen von 0,28 kg/ha, wenn die Regeneration ungelahr 50% erreicht hatte, ergab nachhaltige Wirkung. Behandlungen mit 6,7-9 kg/ha Dalapon gefolgt von 0,28 kg/ha Paraquat hatten ebenfalis eine gute Wirkung, die mit der einer konven-tionellen Behandlung mit 16,8-22 kg/ha Dalapon vergleiehbar war.     

THE CONTROL OF WEEDS IN TEA BY HERBICIDES IN MAURITIUS

Summary. Weed control experiments carried out in tea plantations showed that diuron at doses 2·4, 3·2 and 4·8 lb/ac a.i. resulted in better and more persistent weed control than siamazine.
Shoot absorption experiments carried out on three tea jats, dark, medium and light, showed that the tea jats differed in their tolerance to both diuron and simazine, the light one being the most susceptible.
A difference IN the expression of phytotoxic effects between leaf and root absorption was observed for diuron only. At equivalent doses, 2-year-old plants were in general more susceptible to diuron than to simazine.
Diuron and simazine used alone at 2·4, 3·2 and 4·8 lb/ac a.i. or with addition of sodium chlorate at 6 lb/ac to improve the kill of emerged weeds, did not affect yield of either pruned unpruned 6-year-oId tea. Dalapon, on the other hand, at 6 lb/ac significantly reduced the yield of unpruned tea but not of pruned lea.
Le désherbage chimique du théè l'lle Maurice     

CHEMICAL FALLOW CONTROL OF NUTSEDGE

Summary. Field experiments were conducted to find a herbicide for complete control of nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus L.). We applied seventeen herbicides and some of their combinations as chemical fallow. EPTC and CP-31675 (6- tert -butyl-2-chloro-o-acetotoluidide) gave good but only temporary control of nutsedge. Dichlobenil at 2·5 or 5 lb/ac gave fair control for 1 year. Rates of 10 or 20 lb/ac of dichlobenil controlled nutsedge completely for 1 year but severely reduced the yield of oats planted 5 months after application. The highest rate completely killed tubers and prevented reinfestation for 1 year. Analyses indicated no residue of dichlobenil or of its metabolite, 2,6-dichlorobenzoic acid, in vegetative parts and seeds of oats planted 5 months after application of 2.5, 5 or 10 lb/ac of dichlobenil. At equivalent rates the herbicide TH-073-H (N-hydroxymethyl-2,6-dichlorothiolbenzamide) gave control of nutsedge similar to that with dichlobenil. The combinations of 8 lb/ac amitrole-T and 10 lb/ac dichlobenil or TH-073-H were just as effective in controlling nutsedge shoots and tubers as dichlobenil or TH-073-H applied alone. The mixture of dichlobenil plus CP-31675, each at 5 lb/ac, gave excellent control of nutsedge and tubers for 1 year. The herbicides terbacil ( 3-ter -Nbutyl-5-chloro-6-methyluracil) or Du Pont 733 ( 3-tert -butyl-5-bromo-6-methyluracil) at 10 lb/ac provided almost complete control of nutsedge. Application of terbacil to plants aged 4–6 weeks gave better results than application to mature nutsedge in the fall.
La lutte chimique contre le cypirus     

COMPARISION OF RATES OF PARAQUAT PRIOR TO DIRECT-DRILLING CEREALS

Summary. Trials were conducted in East Anglia to compare direct-drilling following paraquat at 1 and 2 lb/ac with normal cultivations for both winter wheat and spring barley. The three treatments were compared at two levels of nitrogen.
With direct-drilled winter wheat, yields were higher after using paraquat at 2 lb/ac and at this rate there was little difference between direct-drilling and normal cultivations when 100 units of nitrogen were applied in spring. When only 50 units were given the results were more variable, with direct-drilling significantly outyielding normal cultivations in one trial, being outyielded in another and showing no difference in the third.
Yields of spring barley were slightly higher after paraquat at 2 lb/ac as compared with 1 lb/ac, but not significantly so. The time of application of paraquat influenced yield; when applied in December yields from direct-drilling and normal cultivations were similar, but when applied in February higher yields were recorded with normal cultivations.
Comparaison des doses de paraquat a utiliser avant un semis direct de dreales     

THE BIPYRIDYLIUM QUATERNARY SALTS

Summary. In a number of plant species, the biological activity of diquat and paraquat was increased by an increase in environmental humidity. This improved activity resulted from an increase in both uptake and movement.
High humidity was more effective after treatment than before it, and durations of 8 hr or more were required to produce the maximum effect. When periods of low humidity of up to 16 hr were interposed between treatment and high humidity, there was no significant effect on the activity of diquat in darkened tomato or sugar beet.
The increase in activity occurred both in the dark and in the light, and it is therefore concluded that humidity does not exert its effect by modifying the degree of stomatal opening.
Experiments were carried out with wheat using two air humidities combined with different soil moisture contents, ranging from saturated down to only 30% of water-holding capacity. Greatest movement occurred where high air humidity was combined with low soil moisture, and least where low air humidity was combined with high soil moisture. It is concluded that diquat and paraquat would be most effective in the field when sprayed under dry soil conditions in late afternoon or evening when increased humidity (and darkness) can follow soon after treatment.
Les sels quatemaires de bipyridylium
Effet de l'humidité atmosphérique et de l'humidité du sol sur l'absorption et la migration du diquat et du paraquat dans les plantes     

Paraquat-resistant biotypes of Hordeum glaucum from zero-tillage wheat

There has been a significant increase in the area seeded to minimum- and zero-tilled crops worldwide over the past two decades. These cropping systems rely primarily on the non-selective herbicides glyphosate or paraquat/diquat to control weeds before seeding the crop. Both glyphosate and paraquat/diquat are regarded as low-risk herbicides in the ability of target weeds to develop resistance to them. Following 10–15 years of once annual applications of paraquat and diquat for weed control in zero-tilled cereals, failure of these herbicides to control Hordeum glaucum Steud. in two separate fields occurred. Dose–response experiments demonstrated high-level resistance to paraquat and diquat in both populations; however, the resistant biotypes are susceptible to other herbicides. This is the first report, worldwide, of paraquat resistance following the use of this herbicide in zero-tillage cropping systems and is therefore a harbinger of future problems in minimum-tillage systems when there is exclusive reliance on a contact herbicide for weed control.     

THE EFFECT OF JULY APPLICATIONS OF DALAPON ON THE GROWTH AND BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF AN AGROSTIS/LOLIUM PASTURE

Summary. Dalapon–sodium at 3.3–7.5 Ib ac/a.e. was applied in early, mid– and late July 1964 to an Agrostis/Lolium pasture for selective control of the weed grasses Agrostis stolonifera, Poa trivialis and Holcus lanatus. These species were significantly more susceptible than Lolium perenne to dalapon at all doses regardless of the time of spraying. The most promising treatment was 33 lb/ac applied on 4th July, which increased the ground cover of L. perenne and substantially reduced Agrostis stolonifera and Poa trivialis. The total yield of herbage 12 weeks after spraying was only 50% of that from the unsprayed control, but the yield of Lolium perenne was not affected. When cut on 21st May and 5th August 1965, total yield was only slightly reduced and that of L. perenne was increased by 60–90%. The successful practical utilization of this selectivity is likely to depend largely on the spacing of the plants of L. perenne in the pasture. Simazine at 0.75 Ib/ac applied to half of each plot 3–4 weeks alter dalapon treatment had no lasting beneficial effect on the composition of the sward.     

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF TWO NEW HERBICIDES—IOXYNIL AND BROMOXYNIL

Summary. The preparation of ioxynil, bromoxynil, and their salts is described, and information on solubilities and stability to storage is summarized. Although the toxicology of the herbicides is to be reported in greater detail, a preliminary statement is made here. Evidence of herbicidat activity under glasshouse conditions is indicated briefly, and supports the conclusion that both compounds are effective when applied to the foliage of a wide range of dicotyledon weed species. Seedlings of some weed species resistant to the phenoxy alkanoic acids are controlled under glasshouse conditions at doses as low as 0.125 lb/ac, and ioxynil has a wider range of activity than bromoxynil at these low doses. Graminaceous species tolerate 4–8 lb/ac of both herbicides without injury, and certain leguminous crops tolerate one or other herbicide at doses of 0.5–0.75 lb/ac. The contact action of the herbicides is rapid, there are also slower systemic effects, and seed germination is inhibited. In susceptible species the level of post-emergence activity is shown to be influenced by the growth stage of the weed, the distribution of herbicide on the foliage, and environmental factors of which light intensity appears to be most important.
Propriétés chimiques et biologiques de deux nouveaux herbicides: ioxynil et bromoxynil     

THE EFFECT OF POST-EMERGENCE HERBICIDES ON THE VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE GROWTH OF CENTROSEMA FUBESCENS BENTH. IN QUEENSLAND

Summary. 2,4-D-amine, 2,4-D ethyl ester, 2.4-DB-potassium. MCPA-sodium, diquat and a 1:1 mixture of 2,4,5-T butyl ester and 2,4-D ethyl ester were applied to the tropical pasture legume Centrosema pubescens Benth. (centro) grown either alone or with Panicum maximum Jacq. (guinea grass). Even at 0.5 Ib/ac (total) the 2,4,5-T/2,4-D mixture caused severe damage to seedling and mature centro. 2,4-D-amine, 2,4-D ethyl ester and 2,4-DB-potassium were less damaging and there were only slight differences in response to these. Diquat at 0.25 Ib/ac desiccated centro seedlings, but most plants survived and grew satisfactorily. There was some evidence that the growth of mature centro was depressed least when the herbicides were applied during vegetative quiescence.
Application just after the start of flowering altered the flowering pattern but did not reduce seed yields significantly. 2,4-D-amine at 0.75 and 1–5 lb/ac and 2,4-D ethyl ester at 1.5 Ib/ac decreased the percentage germination of abraded seed. Diquat 0.25 Ib/ac applied at the start of flowering caused significant increases in top growth and seed pod numbers, possibly the result of modification of the normal flowering pattern.     

DIRECT-DRILLING OF CEREALS AFTER USE OF PARAQUAT

Summary. Cereal crops were grown at Jealott's Hill in 1962 and 1963 without cultivations, following the use, before drilling, of paraquat to kill unwanted vegetation. This investigation was extended with a series of trials at outside centres. Three trials with winter wheat were drilled in the autumn of 1963, two into pasture and one into stubble. Three barley trials were drilled into stubble in spring 1964.
All the autumn trials and one spring trial compared direct-drilling with normal cultivations at two levels of nitrogen. The other two spring trials compared rates and times of application of paraquat without any plough comparison.
Individual trials showed significant yield differences between direct-drilling and ploughing, but there was no consistent advantage in favour of either technique.
Spraying in advance of drilling generally resulted in similar yields to spraying and drilling on the same day. Winter wheat drilled into pastures showed some retardation of spring growth when spraying and drilling had been carried out on the same day.
When averaged over times of application, yields after spraying paraquat at 2 lb/ac were significantly higher than after 1 lb/ac.
In the trials where two levels of nitrogen were included crops responded to an increase from 60 to 120 units nitrogen/ac as top dressing for winter wheat and from 60 to 90 units nitrogen/ac combine-drilled for spring barley; the response was not always significant.
Semis direct de céréales après application de paraquat     

THE YIELD AND QUAEITY OF RED BEET SEED AS AFFECTED BY DESICCANT SPRAYS AND HARVEST DATE

Summary. Diquat and sodium monochloroacetate (SMA) were used to desiccate seed crops of red beet in experiments from 1963 to 1965. The seed plants became brown and dry about 7 days after spraying and were then judged suitable for combine harvesting, although this was not done in these experiments. Yields of seed 7 days after spraying were as good as those from the control plants, but were lower than the control yields when harvested 14 days after spraying. In laboratory tests in moist sand at 20° C the percentage of the embryos which germinated was not markedly affected by diquat or SMA treatment. The emergence of seedlings in the field, however, was affected adversely by treatment of the seed crop with 11 and 22 oz/ac of diquat ion in 1963 and by SMA at 20 lb/ac in 1964 and 1965. Diquat at 6·6 oz/ac in 120 gal/ac water in 1964 and 1965 had no serious adverse effects on embryo emergence. Residues of diquat ion in seed varied from 2 to 4 ppm, but the impairment of embryo emergence by diquat was believed to be due to the premature arrest of growth of the seed on the desiccated plants.
It is concluded that when harvesting conditions are poor, desiccants could be valuable.
Influence des traitements dessicants et de la date de récolte sur le rendement et la qualité de la sentence de betterave rouge