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.