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Title: Honeydew weed control, Lane, OK, 2003 honeydew weed control with Sandea, Lane, OK

Author
item SHREFLER, J.W. - OSU, LANE,OK
item Webber Iii, Charles
item BRANDENBERGER, L. - OSU, STILLWATER, OK
item WELLS, L. - OSU, STILLWATER, OK

Submitted to: Oklahoma Agriculture Experiment Station Departmental Publication
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/22/2004
Publication Date: 2/2/2004
Citation: Shrefler, J., Webber III, C.L., Brandenberger, L., Wells, L. 2004. Honeydew weed control, Lane, OK, 2003 honeydew weed control with Sandea, Lane, OK. In: Brandenberger, L., Wells, L., editors. 2003 Vegetable Weed Control Studies. Oklahoma State University, Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Stillwater, OK. MP-164. p. 58-59.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Specialty melons have potential value as alternative crops for vegetable producers in the Southern Plains region. Successfully production of these crops requires the availability of efficacious weed control measures that are not injurious to the crop. This research was conducted to evaluate halosulfuron-methyl for use in controlling weeds in honeydew melons (Cucumus melo) grown with plastic mulch. Honeydew melon cv. 'Honeybrew' was direct seeded on May 6, 2003 into beds covered with black plastic mulch. Plants were spaced 1 ft apart down the center of 2 ft wide beds with bed centers 6 ft apart. The six experimental treatments included halosulfuron applied once at 0.032 lb ai/a, halosulfuron applied twice at 0.032 lb ai/a, halosulfuron applied once at 0.048 lb ai/a, halosulfuron applied twice at 0.048 lb ai/a, halosulfuron applied once at 0.096 lb ai/a, and a non-treated weedy-check. All applications were postemergence to the crop and weeds and applied with a CO2-pressurized four-nozzle hand-boom. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated four times. At the time of applications, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) had penetrated the plastic mulch on the beds and the other weeds, primarily tumble pigweed (Amaranthus albus), spiny pigweed (Amaranthus spinosus), and cutleaf ground cherry (Physalis angulata), were limited to the open soil in the furrows between the covered plant beds. All treatments, except the weedy-check, provided essentially complete yellow nutsedge control (97% or better) by the second evaluation, 14 days after initial herbicide applications. Likewise, tumble and spiny pigweed were also controlled by all halosulfuron treatments. Cutleaf ground cherry was suppressed (58-85% control) by all halosulfuron treatments, but complete (99%) control was only obtained with the highest application rate (0.096 lb ai/a). Although initial evaluations, 6 to 34 days after herbicide applications, did indicate that all halosulfuron treatments caused minor (5' 26%) crop injury, no sign of phytotoxicity were later detected and there were no honeydew yield reductions as a result of halosulfuron applications. The research determined that halosulfuron was safely applied to honeydew for affective control of yellow nutsedge, tumble pigweed, and spiny pigweed, while the highest rate was required for acceptable (99%) control of cutleaf ground cherry.