Use of Sulfentrazone (F6285) for Weed Management in Field-grown Ornamentals

Abstract

The nursery industry currently has few options for effective season-long weed control, because few soil persistent herbicides are registered for use in ornamentals. An herbicide that provides season-long weed control with minimal injury to ornamentals would be extremely beneficial because it would enable the nurseryman to produce high-quality ornamentals with minimal weed interference Sulfentrazone (F6285), a newly developed herbicide from the FMC Corp., has shown promising results for weed control in field trials with ornamentals. Additional, trials are needed to further evaluate sulfentrazone in hopes that it may be registered for use in ornamentals in the future. Our objectives are 1) to increase long-term weed management in ornamentals, including woody species and groundcover; 2) to evaluate rate structures of sulfentrazone and combinations, including preemergence and postemergence herbicides; 3) to evaluate sulfentrazone selectivity in weed species and in ornamentals; 4) to evaluate sulfentrazone mode of action in weed species; and 5) to measure the soil activity of sulfentrazone. To achieve the first three objectives, a randomized complete block design will be used to evaluate 10 woody species and 17 herbicide combinations. The response variables will be weed control and phytotoxicity ratings taken at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment. The results of this study will be used in ongoing research trials in an attempt to register sulfentrazone (F6285) for use in ornamentals.