The Effect of Dicamba on Peanut When Applied during Vegetative Growth Stages

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of dicamba-resistant cotton and soybean cultivars has created great concern about the potential off-target movement of dicamba onto sensitive species, including broadleaf crops. Peanut is often grown in close proximity to cotton and soybean. Therefore, field studies were conducted during 2012 and 2013 at Plains, Ty Ty, and Attapulgus, GA to evaluate peanut response to rates of dicamba (35, 70, 140, 280, and 560 g ae ha−1) applied at preemergence (PRE), 10, 20, or 30 d after planting (DAP) corresponding to PRE, V2, V3, and V5 peanut growth stages, respectively. Nontreated controls were included for comparison. As dicamba rate increased, both peanut injury and peanut yield loss increased. Peanut response to dicamba was fit to log-logistic regression models for injury and linear regression models for yield loss. Peanut injury increased with rate of dicamba, but was variable among the locations. A general trend was that peanut plants became more sensitive to dicamba injury as plants approached reproductive stage, as evidenced through a declining linear relationship between I50 values (i.e. rate of dicamba that elicits a 50% crop response) and timing of application. PRE applications of dicamba had I50 values that ranged from 125 to 323 g ha−1 of dicamba, while I50 values were 44 to 48 g ha−1 of dicamba at the V5 peanut growth stage. There was a linear relationship between peanut yield and dicamba rate, with 560 g ha−1 causing maximum yield losses ranging from 0 to 86% when applied PRE, 24 to 82% when applied at V2 growth stage, 30 to 95% when applied at V3 growth stage, and 45 to 88% when applied at V5 growth stage. Across all treatments and locations, there was also a negative linear relationship between peanut yield and peanut crop injury, with a decline of 8.5% yield for every 10% increase in crop injury. Growers and their consultants/extension agents can use this peanut injury data to predict potential peanut yield loss from sprayer contamination or off-target movement of dicamba.