Herbicide Drift Research Articles

SUCROSE IN DETOXIFICATION OF COFFEE PLANTS WITH GLYPHOSATE DRIFT

<p class="Normal-UFLA"><span lang="EN-US">The weed’ control in coffee plants has great importance, as they compete for light, water and nutrients. The chemical control is the most used, emphasizing the glyphosate, however, when applied, drift can occur and consequently cause injuries to coffee. Many farmers use the sucrose application with the objective to reverse the damage caused by the herbicide drift, even without scientific basis to justify such action. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the sucrose application on the detoxification of coffee plants in the implantation phase with glyphosate drift. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, using a randomized block design, arranged in a 3 x 3 factorial scheme with 2 additional treatments, using 3 sucrose doses (2, 4 and 8%) with 3 application times (1, 24 and 168 hours after intoxication with 10% of the commercial glyphosate dose) with an additional one in which the plants were not intoxicated and not treated with sucrose and the other additional only with plants intoxicated by glyphosate. After 75 days conducting the experiment, growth, physiological and anatomical characteristics were evaluated. The application of sucrose in the reversal of intoxication of growth variables (height, leaf areaThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the sucrose application on the detoxification of coffee plants in the implantation phase with glyphosate drift. number of leaves, shoot dry weight and dry weight of the root system) was not efficient. For the physiological variables the application of 2% sucrose, one hour after glyphosate intoxication was the most efficient treatment.</span></p>

GROWTH, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF COFFEE PLANTS INTOXICATED BY THE HERBICIDE GLYPHOSATE

<p>Weed control is fundamental in coffee cultivation due to their high interference, competing with the crop for water, light and nutrients. Among the control methods used, chemical control is highlighted, due to its high efficiency and low cost. However, due to application failures, herbicide drift phytotoxicity is common. Aiming at the search for selective active ingredients in coffee, the objective of this study was to evaluate the selectivity of the active ingredient Glyphosate in young coffee plants. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse with ‘Topázio MG1190’ coffee plants (<em>Coffea arabica</em> L.), cultivated in pots with an 11 L-substrate capacity. The statistical design was RBD, with four replications and four doses of the herbicide, making up 16 experimental plots. Each plot consisted of three plants. The treatments were: (i) 0%; (ii) 10%; (iii) 25% and (iv) 50% of the commercial dose of the herbicide Glyphosate. The evaluations were performed at 104 days after application of the treatments. Growth, morphological, physiological and anatomical characteristics were evaluated. The collected data were analyzed using the SISVAR software. The effect of glyphosate drift impairs plant growth. However, after 104 days of intoxication, there is no longer any effect on the physiology and leaf anatomy of coffee trees.</p>

Detection of Bispyribac-sodium Residues in Walnut Leaves after Simulated Drift

Walnut (Juglans regia) and rice (Oryza sativa) are among the most important crops grown in the Sacramento Valley of California. Because rice herbicides are often applied by air, there are occasional allegations of rice herbicide drift onto walnut trees. This study was established to investigate bispyribac-sodium residues on walnut leaves after simulated drift treatments. The objectives were to determine whether bispyribac-sodium can generate visual symptoms on walnut trees without leaving detectable residues in leaf tissues and to evaluate the subsequent impacts on walnut yield. Two experiments were conducted in a 3-year-old walnut orchard. In the first experiment bispyribac-sodium was applied to walnut trees at 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% of the normal use rate in rice (45 g·ha−1). In the second experiment, rates were 1%, 3%, 10%, and 100% of the normal use rate in rice. Bispyribac-sodium caused general leaf chlorosis and discrete yellow spotting on walnut leaves even at very low concentrations; symptoms were recorded on trees exposed to rates as low as 0.125% of the normal use rate in rice. However, based on high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the lowest simulated drift treatment from which bispyribac-sodium could be detected 10 d after treatment was 1% of the rice use rate. In general, visual injury symptoms remained constant over time, or even worsened, whereas bispyribac-sodium residues decreased or became not detectable. There was no measurable impact on walnut yield from any of the simulated drift treatments in these experiments.

Optimizing Aircraft Utilization for Herbicide Application by Evaluation of Herbicide Spray Drift in West Bank Berbice Guyana South America

Aerial herbicide drift caused mainly by weather and climatic conditions may be the most challenging problem facing farmers. Spray drift reaching off-target areas can destroy sensitive crops; pollute air and water resources thus causing serious health problems to humans and animals. Nonetheless, buffer zones of 500 meters are indicated to limit these negative impacts of spray drift. The Guyana Sugar Corporation controls weeds and ripens canes by aerial herbicide application. The corporation, in the 1990s, instituted 750-metre buffer zones, which greatly affected the optimization of aircraft use in herbicide application and ripening of cane. This study tested the utility of the 750-meters buffer zone on Rose Hall, Albion and Blairmont Sugar estates. The actual drift distances were determined within 06:00 hours and 09:00 hours for 9 herbicide applications. Drift patterns associated with the three 1- hour time periods were correlated with prevailing weather conditions to determine optimal flying periods for the locations. The droplets concentration per sensitive paper was collected for each period. It was noted that the drift is less with the distance from the field up to 510 m; thereafter the number of droplets was 2 or less per sensitive paper. The wind speed increases as time goes up, thus increasing the drift. The windward side is where 510 m were recorded to have droplets of 2 and nil at 510 m from the opposite side.

Field Measurements of Drift of Conventional and Drift Control Formulations of 2,4-D Plus Glyphosate

AbstractRecent advances in biotechnology have resulted in crops that are tolerant to the synthetic auxin 2,4-D, expanding the weed management versatility of this herbicide. With potential expansions of use, concerns have been raised about the increased risk of herbicide drift, leading to damage to nontarget crops. A field-scale study was conducted with the objective to measure drift deposition and the potential for drift reduction conferred by a proprietary pre-mixture formulation of 2,4-D choline salt plus glyphosate dimethylammonium salt compared to an in-tank mixture of 2,4-D dimethylamine salt plus glyphosate potassium salt. Treatments were made with field-scale spray equipment under typical application conditions in McCook, NE, using three widely used nozzle tips. Deposition was captured in triplicate downwind collector lines and assayed for tracer dye and 2,4-D. In comparison to the in-tank mixture, the pre-mixture formulation exhibited lower downwind depositions when applied through a flat-fan (TeeJet Extended Range; XR) and air induction (TeeJet Air Induction Extended Range; AIXR) nozzles, but not with a pre-orifice (TeeJet TurboTeeJet Induction; TTI) nozzle. Based upon median deposition at 30 m downwind, the pre-mixture formulation reduced drift by 62% and 91%, for the XR and AIXR nozzles, respectively. From a drift reduction perspective, the pre-mixture formulation performance with the AIXR nozzle was equivalent to a much coarser TTI nozzle while still offering sufficient foliar coverage for acceptable weed control.

Carfentrazone‐ethyl and glyphosate drift inhibits uredinial formation of Austropuccinia psidii on Eucalyptus grandis leaves

The response to infection of Austropuccinia psidii in resistant (CLR-383) and susceptible (CLR-384) Eucalyptus grandis clones, exposed to herbicide drift of carfentrazone-ethyl, glyphosate and a mixture of these two herbicides, was evaluated at microscopic and physiological levels. Plants of the two clones showed symptoms of phytotoxicity caused by herbicide drift. However, net CO2 assimilation rate, height and shoot dry matter were lower in CLR-384 than in CLR-383. At the ultrastructure level, the leaves of both clones exposed to the herbicides showed thylakoid disorganization and accumulation of starch grains in the chloroplasts. Only plants of CLR-384 were infected by A. psidii, but when exposed to herbicide drift, rust severity was lower than in control plants. Six days after inoculation (dai), plants of this clone exposed to the herbicides had smaller uredinia than control plants. At 12 dai, non-herbicide treated plants showed normal uredinia, containing abundant urediniospores. By contrast, plants exposed to the herbicides were less colonized by the fungus, and the uredinia were smaller with reduced production of urediniospores, which were sometimes not even detected. Glyphosate and carfentrazone-ethyl herbicide drift reduce infection and uredinial formation of A. psidii and to some extent induce basal resistance in a susceptible clone of E. grandis. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

GROWTH ANALYSIS OF HYBRID Eucalyptus urograndis (E. grandis x E. urophylla) IN RESPONSE TO SIMULATED DRIFT OF AUXINIC HERBICIDES

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate growth rates of E. urograndis under application of triclopyr and fluroxipyr+triclopyr herbicides. Was used a randomized block design with four replications in a factorial design (3x2x5), corresponding to herbicides (triclopyr and fluroxipyr+triclopyr), both with two doses (0.75 and 1.5% concentrations of 480 g and L-1 for triclopyr and 80+240 g and L-1 for fluroxipyr+triclopyr), plus one control (plants that did not receive herbicide application) and five evaluation dates at 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 days after application (DAA). At 45 days after seedlings transplant, applications were performed with pressurized carbon dioxide backpack sprayer, equipped with beak tip (XR 110.02) with spray volume of 200 L ha-1 and constant pressure of 35 kgf/cm2. Were evaluated: leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area ratio (LAR), leaf weight ratio (LWR), absolute growth ratio (AGR), relative growth ratio (RGR) and net assimilatory ratio (NAR). The drift of triclopyr and fluroxipyr + triclopyr herbicide in the hybrid E. urograndis affect plant development in the beginning of the establishment. At 75 days after simulation drift of herbicides the plants showed characteristics of the symptoms of intoxication. It’s necessary to perform studies after 75 DAA to verify the complete recovery of the intoxication symptoms of E. urograndis hybrid plants resulting from the herbicide drift in the present study.

Adapting population models for application in pesticide risk assessment: A case study with Mead's milkweed.

Population models can facilitate assessment of potential impacts of pesticides on populations or species rather than individuals and have been identified as important tools for pesticide risk assessment of nontarget species including those listed under the Endangered Species Act. Few examples of population models developed for this specific purpose are available; however, population models are commonly used in conservation science as a tool to project the viability of populations and the long-term outcomes of management actions. We present a population model for Mead's milkweed (Asclepias meadii), a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act throughout its range across the Midwestern United States. We adapted a published population model based on demographic field data for application in pesticide risk assessment. Exposure and effects were modeled as reductions of sets of vital rates in the transition matrices, simulating both lethal and sublethal effects of herbicides. Two herbicides, atrazine and mesotrione, were used as case study examples to evaluate a range of assumptions about potential exposure-effects relationships. In addition, we assessed buffers (i.e., setback distances of herbicide spray applications from the simulated habitat) as hypothetical mitigation scenarios and evaluated their influence on population-level effects in the model. The model results suggest that buffers can be effective at reducing risk from herbicide drift to plant populations. These case studies demonstrate that existing population models can be adopted and integrated with exposure and effects information for use in pesticide risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2235-2245. © 2018 SETAC.

Assessing non-intended effects of farming practices on field margin vegetation with a functional approach

To assess the unwanted side effects of farming practices on non-target plants, we used a nationwide survey of the vegetation of arable field margin strips. The vegetation was surveyed during two years (2013, 2014) in 430 field margins distributed over all agricultural regions of France. We used two complementary multivariate, trait-based approaches to examine how ten plant traits were related to ten environmental variables describing abiotic conditions, landscape factors, field margin management and in-field practices. Generalized additive mixed models were also developed to assess how the same environmental variables correlated with species richness, functional diversity and relative richness of agrotolerant versus hemerophobic species. Traits responded primarily to an environmental gradient of landscape diversity and field margin management. For instance, narrow field margin strips, frequent management and presence of a ditch favoured annual plants, small size at maturity and perennial plants, respectively. The second environmental gradient affecting plant traits was related to field size and intensity of in-field farming practices. On this gradient, fertilizer drift appeared to have a much stronger effect on plant trait composition of field margin strips than herbicide drift. The relationship between species richness, or functional diversity, and environment was consistent with the trait-based approach: the two former variables were negatively correlated with agriculture intensification (e.g. field size). However, this analysis also highlighted new covariates, such as a negative relationship between frequency of herbicide use and species richness. Some of the observed patterns seemed to be driven by differential responses of agrotolerant versus hemerophobic species, with the latter being more species-rich under organic than under conventional farming. Despite efforts to reduce nitrogen inputs since the 2000s, our results shows that N-fertilization still has significant non-intended effects on field margin vegetation. More generally, increasing the width of field margin strips, keeping or restoring semi-natural elements (ditches, hedges) in the field boundary, and lowering the number of management events may promote grassland plant species more typical of semi-natural habitats.

Reduction in the spray drift of 2,4-D in tomato using hydraulic nozzles with air induction and LI-700 adjuvant

ABSTRACT The drift of hormonal effect herbicides is a major problem for agriculture, because, even in small amounts, it may cause high losses in crops with plants that are sensitive to their action mechanism. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of hydraulic spray nozzles with air induction, as well as the use of the LI-700 adjuvant, in the reduction of the 2,4-D herbicide drift, in tomato crop. A complete randomized split-plot experimental design, with eight replications, was used. Two herbicide solutions were assigned in the plots (with or without the use of adjuvant) [2,4-D (670 g ha-1) and 2,4-D (670 g ha-1) + LI-700 (712.88 g ha-1)], and, in the subplots, five nozzle models [simple fan (JSF11003), simple fan with air induction (AD-IA11003), dual fan with air induction (AD-IA/D11003), simple hammer fan with air induction (TTI11003-VP) and empty cone with air induction (CV-IA10003). The treatments were applied in a wind tunnel, under a pressure of 300 kPa. In a laser analyzer, applying only water, the volumetric median diameter, the relative amplitude and the percentage of drops with diameter lower than 150 µm were measured for all nozzle models. The CV-IA10003 and TTI11003-VP hydraulic nozzles outstand by reducing the 2,4-D herbicide drift and decreasing the damage to tomato plants. The addition of the LI-700 adjuvant to the 2,4-D syrup, independently of the nozzle model, reduces the drift of this herbicide and its effects on the tomato plant root. However, even when adopting these technologies, the application of the 2,4-D herbicide near the tomato crop should be avoided.

Effect of Thiamethoxam on Injurious Herbicides in Rice

Increases in the number of herbicide-resistant weeds in rice has led to the need for new herbicides and modes of action to control these troublesome weeds. Previous research has indicated that insecticide seed treatments can safen rice from herbicide drift. In 2014 and 2015, two field experiments were conducted at the Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) near Stuttgart, Arkansas, and at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) farm near Lonoke, Arkansas, to determine if insecticide seed treatments could prevent unacceptable levels of herbicide injury from preemergence (PRE)- and postemergence (POST)-applied herbicides that are typically injurious to rice. Both studies were planted with the imidazolinone-resistant, inbred variety CL151. ‘Treated’ plots contained the insecticide seed treatment thiamethoxam while ‘nontreated’ plots contained no insecticide seed treatment. Seven herbicides were evaluated in the PRE experiment: clomazone, pethoxamid, fluridone, S-metolachlor, thiobencarb, clethodim, and quizalofop to determine crop injury, stand counts, groundcover, and rough rice yield with and without an insecticide seed treatment compared to plots with no herbicide treatments. Overall, an insecticide seed treatment provided increased rice stands and less herbicide injury than the ‘nontreated’ seed while increasing yield by 500 kg ha-1. Of the herbicides tested, clomazone-, thiobencarb-, clethodim-, and quizalofop-treated plots had equivalent yields to the no-herbicide plots. The POST experiment evaluated propanil, saflufenacil, carfentrazone, and acifluorfen in various tank-mixtures and application timings. Similar to the PRE experiment, plants from treated seed had less herbicide injury 1 and 5 weeks after treatment (WAT) along with an increased canopy height and groundcover percentage. Plants having treated seed also had increased yields when used with some herbicide programs. Overall, the use of an insecticide seed treatment can give the added benefit of less injury from injurious herbicides as well as increased groundcover.

Kvantifikacija depozita zemljišnog herbicida i redukcija drifta u vetrovitim uslovima

Kvantifikacija depozita zemljišnog herbicida i redukcija drifta u vetrovitim uslovima

Deriva do herbicida 2,4-d aplicado com pontas hidráulicas de jato plano tipo leque

Drift is one of the major problems in the application of agrochemicals, often responsible for the low efficiency of controls. The objective of this study was to analyze the 2,4-D herbicide drift applied with fan-type flat jet hydraulic tips. Two solutions were evaluated: water and water + 2,4-D and four tips: simple fan (JS), simple fan with pre-orifice (JSPO), simple fan with induction (JSIA) and double fan with induction (JDIA). The diameter of the volumetric median (DMV), relative amplitude (SPAN), and percentage of droplets with a diameter less than 100 ?m (V < 100) were analyzed in a laser analyzer and drift in a wind tunnel. Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey’s test at 5%. The tips JS, JSPO, JDIA, JSIA, in this order, generated decreasing percentages of V < 100 and drift. Addition of 2,4-D decreased 16% drift at the tip with JSPO and increased 26% at the tips with induction. At the tips with induction, the JDIA generated higher V < 100 and lower DMV, and consequently greater drift, in relation to JSIA. In induction tips, the presence of 2,4-D increases the drift and the double fan provides greater drift compared to the single fan. Regardless of the presence of 2,4-D, tips with induction are more efficient in drift reduction over pre-bore.

Soybean Sensitivity to Florpyrauxifen-benzyl during Reproductive Growth and the Impact on Subsequent Progeny

AbstractTo address recent concerns related to auxin herbicide drift onto soybean, a study was developed to understand the susceptibility of the reproductive stage of soybean to a new auxin herbicide compared with dicamba. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is under development as the second herbicide in a new structural class of synthetic auxins, the arylpicolinates. Field studies were conducted to (1) evaluate and compare reproductive soybean injury and yield following applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba across various concentrations and reproductive growth stages and (2) determine whether low-rate applications of florpyrauxifen-benzyl or dicamba to soybean in reproductive stages would have similar effect on the progeny of the affected plants. Soybean were treated with 0, 1/20, or 1/160, of the 1X rate of florpyrauxifen-benzyl (30 g ai ha−1) or dicamba (560 g ae ha−1) at R1, R2, R3, R4, or R5 growth stage. Soybean plant height and yield was reduced from 1/20X dicamba across all reproductive stages. High drift rates (1/20X) of florpyrauxifen-benzyl also reduced soybean plant height &gt;25% and yield across R1 to R4 stages. Germination, stand, plant height, and yield of the offspring of soybean plants treated with dicamba and florpyrauxifen-benzyl were significantly affected. Dicamba applied at a rate of 1/20X at R4 and R5 resulted in 20% and 35% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. A similar reduction occurred from florpyrauxifen-benzyl applied at R4 and R5 at the 1/20X rate, resulting in 15% to 24% yield reduction for the offspring, respectively. Based on these findings, it is suggested that growers use caution when applying these herbicides in the vicinity of reproductive soybean.

Detection of phenoxy herbicide dosage in cotton crops through the analysis of hyperspectral data

ABSTRACTAlthough herbicide drifts are known worldwide and recognized as one of the major risks for crop security in the agriculture sector, the traditional assessment of damage in cotton crops caused by herbicide drifts has several limitations. The aim of this study was to assess proximal sensor and modelling techniques in the detection of phenoxy herbicide dosage in cotton crops. In situ hyperspectral data (400–900 nm) were collected at four different times after ground-based spraying of cotton crops in a factorial randomized complete block experimental design with dose and timing of exposure as factors. Three chemical doses: nil, 5% and 50% of the recommended label rate of the herbicide 2,4-D were applied to cotton plants at specific growth stages (i.e. 4–5 nodes, 7–8 nodes and 11–12 nodes). Results have shown that yield had a significant correlation (p-values <0.05) to the green peak (~550 nm) and NIR range, as the pigment and cell internal structure of the plants are key for the assessment of damage. Prediction models integrating raw spectral data for the prediction of dose have performed well with classification accuracy higher than 80% in most cases. Visible and NIR range were significant in the classification. However, the inclusion of the green band (around 550 nm) increased the classification accuracy by more than 25%. This study shows that hyperspectral sensing has the potential to improve the traditional methods of assessing herbicide drift damage.

Plant reproduction is altered by simulated herbicide drift to constructed plant communities.

Herbicide drift may have unintended impacts on native vegetation, adversely affecting individual species and plant communities. To determine the potential ecological effects of herbicide drift, small plant community plots were constructed using 9 perennial species found in different Willamette Valley (OR, USA) grassland habitats. Studies were conducted at 2 Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR, USA) farms in 2 separate years, with single and combined treatments of 0.01 to 0.2× field application rates (f.a.r.) of 1119 g ha-1 for glyphosate (active ingredient [a.i.] of 830 g ha-1 acid glyphosate) and 560 g ha-1 a.i. for dicamba. Plant responses were percentage of cover, number of reproductive structures, mature and immature seed production, and vegetative biomass. Herbicide effects differed with species, year, and, to a lesser extent, farm. Generally, 0.1 to 0.2× f.a.r. of the herbicides were required to affect reproduction in Camassia leichtlinii, Elymus glaucus, Eriophyllum lanatum, Festuca idahoensis, Iris tenax, and Prunella vulgaris. Eriophyllum lanatum also had a significant increase in percentage of immature seed dry weight with 0.01× f.a.r. of dicamba or the combination of glyphosate plus dicamba. Other species showed similar trends, but fewer significant responses. These studies indicated potential effects of low levels of herbicides on reproduction of native plants, and demonstrated a protocol whereby species growing in a constructed plant community can be evaluated for ecological responses. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2799-2813. Published 2017 SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Evaluating the effects of herbicide drift on nontarget terrestrial plants: A case study with mesotrione.

Nature of exposure is a fundamental driver in nontarget terrestrial plant risk assessment for pesticides; consequently a novel study was designed to generate field-based drift exposure and evaluate corresponding biological effects of the herbicide mesotrione. The approach used a combination of US guideline drift reduction technology and vegetative vigor approaches. In each of 3 independent replicate spray application trials, 10 pots each of lettuce and tomato were placed at distances of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 ft (∼3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 m) from the downwind edge of the spray boom. Each application was conducted using a commercial 60-ft (18-m) boom sprayer fitted with TeeJet® Technologies TTI110025 nozzles, with a nominal application rate of 0.2 lb a.i./A (224 g a.i./ha). The environmental conditions required by the protocol (air temperature 10-30 °C and wind perpendicular to the swath (±30°) blowing toward the plants at a mean wind speed of ≥10 mph [≥4.5 m/s] measured at 2.0 m above the ground) were met for each application. Following exposure, plants were transferred to a greenhouse for the 21-d vegetative vigor phase of the study. Symptoms of phytotoxicity and plant height were assessed at 7, 14, and 21 d after treatment. On completion of the 21-d after treatment assessment, all plants were harvested and dried in an oven to determine shoot dry weight. The biological data indicated that no statistically significant effects were observed at a distance of 30 ft (∼9 m) from mesotrione drift at wind speeds of ≥10 mph (10.9-12.4 mph); this endpoint (30 ft) is defined as the no observed effects distance (NOED). Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2465-2475. © 2017 SETAC.

Initial effects of quinclorac on the survival and growth of high biomass tree species

Increasingly, short rotation woody crops are being planted for biofuel/biomass production on unused lands or marginal agricultural lands. Many of these plantations occur near agriculture land which is intensively managed including yearly herbicide applications. Herbicide drift from these applications may cause tree stress and decreasing yields impacting potential biomass production. Quinclorac, a rice herbicide, is often cited as a potential source of tree damage and is the focal herbicide of this study. Five planting stocks, including three eastern cottonwood clones, a hybrid poplar clone, and American sycamore, were assessed for herbicide affects and deployed at three sites across south Arkansas. Stocks were exposed to a full rate labeled for rice (3.175 L ha-1), two rates simulating drift (1/100th and 1/10th the full rate), and a no-spray control. Survival of all Populus clones decreased drastically as quinclorac rate increased, while there was little observed effect on American sycamore. Some variability in treatment response among poplars occurred below the full herbicide rate; however, direct spraying a full herbicide rate on poplars resulted in survival rates below 65 percent and negative growth rates due to dieback. Conversely, photosynthetic rates of remaining leaves increased as quinclorac rate increased. Survival and damage scores of American sycamore, regardless of herbicide rate, remained nearly constant.

Hyperspectral sensing to detect the impact of herbicide drift on cotton growth and yield

Yield loss in crops is often associated with plant disease or external factors such as environment, water supply and nutrient availability. Improper agricultural practices can also introduce risks into the equation. Herbicide drift can be a combination of improper practices and environmental conditions which can create a potential yield loss. As traditional assessment of plant damage is often imprecise and time consuming, the ability of remote and proximal sensing techniques to monitor various bio-chemical alterations in the plant may offer a faster, non-destructive and reliable approach to predict yield loss caused by herbicide drift. This paper examines the prediction capabilities of partial least squares regression (PLS-R) models for estimating yield. Models were constructed with hyperspectral data of a cotton crop sprayed with three simulated doses of the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D at three different growth stages. Fibre quality, photosynthesis, conductance, and two main hormones, indole acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were also analysed. Except for fibre quality and ABA, Spearman correlations have shown that these variables were highly affected by the chemical. Four PLS-R models for predicting yield were developed according to four timings of data collection: 2, 7, 14and28daysafter the exposure (DAE). As indicated by the model performance, the analysis revealed that 7 DAE was the best time for data collection purposes (RMSEP=2.6andR2=0.88), followed by 28 DAE (RMSEP=3.2andR2=0.84). In summary, the results of this study show that it is possible to accurately predict yield after a simulated herbicide drift of 2,4-D on a cotton crop, through the analysis of hyperspectral data, thereby providing a reliable, effective and non-destructive alternative based on the internal response of the cotton leaves.

Rice Crop Response to Simulated Drift of Imazamox

Field studies were conducted near Crowley, LA, to evaluate the effects of simulated herbicide drift on ‘Cocodrie' rice. Each treatment was made with the spray volume varying proportionally to herbicide dosage based on a spray volume of 234 L ha−1and an imazamox rate of 44 g ai ha−1. The 6.3%, 2.7-g ha−1, herbicide rate was applied at a spray volume of 15 L ha−1and the 12.5%, 5.5-g ha−1, herbicide rate was applied at a spray volume of 29 L ha−1. Rice was treated at the one-tiller, panicle differentiation, boot, and physiological maturity growth stages. Injury was observed with imazamox applied at the one-tiller timing. Injury was not observed until 21 and 28 d after treatment (DAT) when imazamox was applied at the panicle differentiation and boot timings. The greatest reduction in plant height resulted from applications at the one-tiller timing at 7 and 14 DAT; however, when evaluated at harvest, plant height was reduced no more than 10%. Imazamox, averaged over rate, applied to rice at the boot timing reduced primary crop yield 66% compared with the nontreated. Applications at the boot timing resulted in an increased ratoon crop yield; however, the yield increase did not compensate for the loss in the primary crop yield.