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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Houma, Louisiana » Sugarcane Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417250
Research Project: New Crop Production and Protection Practices to Increase Sugarcane Ratoon Longevity and Maximize Economic Sustainability

Location: Sugarcane Research

Title: Evaluation of spring herbicide programs during a three-year sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) cropping cycle

Author
item Wright, Alice
item SPAUNHORST, DOUGLAS - Missouri Farmers Association (MFA INCORPORATED)
item PETRIE, ERIC - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Weed Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2025
Publication Date: 3/24/2025
Citation: Wright, A.A., Spaunhorst, D.J., Petrie, E. 2025. Evaluation of spring herbicide programs during a three-year sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) cropping cycle. Weed Technology. https://doi.org/10.1017/wet.2025.22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/wet.2025.22

Interpretive Summary: Few herbicides are registered for use in sugarcane. Repeated use of the same modes of action can lead to herbicide resistant (HR) weeds. It is critical to review other modes of action to give growers options for rotating herbicides to reduce the risk of HR weeds. 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibitors, along with other herbicide programs, were reviewed in the spring for injury to the crop, weed control, and sugar yield. Of these treatments, clomazone with diuron caused the most injury to the crop across all trials. For most harvests this corresponded to reduced yield. In most treatments an increase in itchgrass counts was seen between harvests. This means other control strategies will be needed in fields infested with this weed. HPPD inhibitors caused little injury in sugarcane. The low injury levels suggest these herbicides can be used in weed management programs in this crop. Use of HPPD-inhibitors would further vary modes of action used in this crop and help reduce the risk of HR weeds.

Technical Abstract: A limited number of herbicides, and modes of action, are registered for use in sugarcane. Repeated use of the same modes of action can lead to the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate additional modes of action to provide growers with options for rotating herbicides to reduce the risk of resistance. 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibitors, along with more common herbicide applications (pendimethalin and metribuzin, clomazone and diuron), were evaluated in the spring for injury to sugarcane, weed control, and sugar yield. Of these treatments, clomazone applied with diuron was the only herbicide combination to consistently injure the crop, with injury estimates ranging from 11 to 36%, which frequently resulted in reduced sugar yield with losses between 2.3% to 24.1% of the non-treated control. In most treatments, an increase in itchgrass counts was observed between harvests, indicating that additional control strategies will be needed in fields infested with this weed. However, HPPD inhibitors were well tolerated by sugarcane with injuries ranging from 0 to 11% two weeks after treatment, suggesting that these herbicides can be incorporated into weed management strategies in sugarcane. Use of HPPD-inhibitor herbicides would further diversify modes of action used in sugarcane and help mitigate the risk of herbicide resistant weeds.