Weed Response to Foliar Coapplications of Glyphosate and Zinc Sulfate

Abstract

Field trials were conducted during 2006 and 2007 and a container study was performed twice in 2007 at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center in Alexandria, LA to evaluate the interaction of glyphosate and zinc coapplied to selected weeds. Across all experiments, no differences in either visible weed control or weed fresh weight were detected among glyphosate formulations. In the field studies, weed control was greatest when glyphosate was applied alone, in which case control of barnyardgrass, browntop millet, and Palmer amaranth ranged between 93 and 95%. When glyphosate was coapplied with formulations of zinc, control of the aforementioned weed species was reduced to 39, 39, and 45%, respectively. Visual estimates of weed control in the container studies showed glyphosate performance to be the highest (82 to 98%) in the absence of zinc for control of barnyardgrass, browntop millet, johnsongrass, ivyleaf morningglory, and redroot pigweed. Across all weed species, control was reduced 43 to 59% when zinc was coapplied with glyphosate. Similar results were noted in reduction of weed fresh weights. Results indicate that glyphosate-based weed control is reduced when coapplied with the zinc products at their current use rates. Producers should be aware of this antagonism and these coapplications should not be recommended.