Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) Tolerance to Pronamide Applications for Annual Bluegrass Control

Abstract

Annual bluegrass is a troublesome weed in turf management and there are currently limited POST herbicides labeled for use in seashore paspalum. Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate seashore paspalum tolerance to pronamide and other herbicides for annual bluegrass control. In field experiments, turf injury never exceeded 7% from pronamide applied at dormancy, 50% green-up, or complete green-up of seashore paspalum in spring. Annual bluegrass control from pronamide was initially similar across timings and averaged 67, 90, and 98% control from 0.84, 1.68, and 3.36 kg ai ha21, respectively, after 6 wk. In greenhouse experiments, the aforementioned pronamide rates caused less than 10% injury on seashore paspalum. Seashore paspalum injury in the greenhouse was excessive (. 20%) from atrazine, bispyribac-sodium, and trifloxysulfuron and moderate (7 to 20%) from foramsulfuron, rimsulfuron, and ethofumesate. Seashore paspalum seedhead count reductions by 4 wk after treatment (WAT) were good to excellent (87 to 98%) from atrazine, bispyribac-sodium, rimsulfuron, and trifloxysulfuron and poor (# 0%) from ethofumesate, foramsulfuron, and pronamide. By 4 WAT, seashore paspalum clippings were reduced 0 to 39% from pronamide, whereas atrazine, bispyribac-sodium, and trifloxysulfuron reduced clippings by 54 to 69% from the untreated and ethofumesate, foramsulfuron, and rimsulfuron reduced clippings by 27 to 39%.