PRE and POST Control of Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) with Indaziflam

Abstract

Indaziflam controls annual grassy weeds by inhibiting cellulose biosynthesis. Research was conducted from 2008 to 2011 in Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia evaluating the efficacy of indaziflam for PRE and POST control of annual bluegrass in bermudagrass turf. In Texas, indaziflam at 30, 40, 50, and 60 g ai ha−1 applied PRE provided 93 to 100% annual bluegrass control through 28 wk after treatment. When applied PRE at 80 g ai ha−1 and at 4, 8, and 12 wk after PRE (WAP), indaziflam controlled annual bluegrass 67 to 100% 32 wk after initial treatment (WAIT) in Tennessee; however, reduced efficacy was observed with 12 WAP treatments in a single year of a 2-yr study. Similarly, annual bluegrass control with PRE applications or with 4 and 8 WAP applications of indaziflam at 35 and 52.5 g ai ha−1 ranged from 88 to 100% at 30 WAIT in Tennessee. In Georgia, these rates of indaziflam applied PRE and 4 WAP controlled annual bluegrass 96 to 100% on all evaluation dates and resulted in 97 to 100% reduction in plant counts relative to the untreated control at 30 WAIT. When applied 8 WAP, the 35 and 52.5 g ai ha−1 rates of indaziflam controlled annual bluegrass only 51 to 71% at 30 WAIT in Georgia. Although increasing the application rate of indaziflam treatments 8 WAP provided greater annual bluegrass control, each rate provided significantly lower control when applied 8 WAP compared with PRE or at 4 WAP. No bermudagrass injury was observed in this research. Results suggest indaziflam provides effective PRE and early POST control of annual bluegrass in bermudagrass turf. However, additional research is needed to determine the effects of plant size and maturity on indaziflam efficacy for POST annual bluegrass control.