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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424150
Research Project: Basic and Applied Approaches for Pest Management in Vegetable Crops

Location: Vegetable Research

Title: Bentazon in tank-mix with plant hormones improve weed management in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) under field conditions

Author
item SINGH, SIMARDEEP - Clemson University
item CAPUTO, GIOVANNI - Clemson University
item Wadl, Phillip
item MCCARTY, LAMBERT - Clemson University
item ADELBERG, JEFFREY - Clemson University
item JENNINGS, KATHERINE - North Carolina State University
item CUTULLE, MATTHEW - Clemson University

Submitted to: Crop Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2026
Publication Date: 7/18/2026
Citation: Singh, S., Caputo, G.A., Wadl, P.A., Mccarty, L., Adelberg, J., Jennings, K.M., Cutulle, M. 2026. Bentazon in tank-mix with plant hormones improve weed management in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) under field conditions. Crop Protection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2026.107778.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2026.107778

Interpretive Summary: Weed management is crucial for sweetpotato production, but there is currently no registered herbicide for suppressing yellow nutsedge, a problematic weed. Experiments in South Carolina, USA, evaluated the interactions between bentazon and plant hormones on weed control and crop safety. Results showed that bentazon had a phytotoxic effect on sweetpotato plants, reducing yield. The addition of plant hormones mixed with bentazon reduced sweetpotato injury without impacting weed control. Greater sweetpotato marketable yield was observed with tank mixtures of bentazon and plant hormones treatments compared to the non-treated check and application of bentazon alone. These results suggest that plant hormones could improve sweetpotato tolerance to POST applications of bentazon without reducing weed control.

Technical Abstract: Weed management is essential to maximize yield in sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam)] production. Currently, there is a lack of herbicides registered in sweetpotato to suppress nutsedge species. Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.), is a problematic weed due to its ability to reproduce through tubers and shoots. Expanding the bentazon label to include sweetpotato would be beneficial for sweetpotato growers to control/suppress yellow nutsedge during the season. Experiments were conducted to evaluate interactions between bentazon and plant hormones on weed control and sweetpotato crop safety. Treatments included a non-treated check, melatonin (100 g ai ha-1), brassinoesteroids mixture (BSM) (1000 g ai ha-1), bentazon (200 g ai ha-1), bentazon + melatonin, bentazon + BSM, and bentazon + melatonin + BSM all applied post-emergently (POST). The experiment was conducted in 2021 and 2022 at two locations in South Carolina, USA. Results of this field study demonstrated that bentazon had a phytotoxic effect on sweetpotato plants, reducing the final yield. The addition of plant hormones mixed with bentazon reduced sweetpotato injury without impacting weed control. Also, greater sweetpotato marketable yield was observed with tank mixtures of bentazon and plant hormones treatments compared with the non-treated check and application of bentazon alone. These results suggest that the use of plant hormones could improve sweetpotato tolerance to POST applications of bentazon without reducing weed control. This information will be useful to sweetpotato growers, University Extension agents and weed scientists.