Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92308
Title: EVALUATION OF SUGARCANE (SACCHARUM SPP. HYBRIDS) FALLOW AND AFTER PLANTING BERMUDAGRASS (CYNODON DACTYLON) CONTROL PROGRAMS

Author
item MILLER, D. - LSU AG EXPERIMENT STATION
item GRIFFIN, J. - LSU AG EXPERIMENT STATION
item Richard Jr, Edward

Submitted to: Weed Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/21/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Most of the sugarcane grown on the loamy soils in Louisiana is infested with bermudagrass. Though not as competitive with sugarcane as johnsongrass and itchgrass, bermudagrass can reduce sugar yields by 15% or more. Research was conducted to compare various fallow plus "in-crop" programs for the control of bermudagrass. Timely fallow tillage was effective in reducing bermudagrass infestation levels in the newly planted crop when rainfall was low. During the fallow period, a program involving timely tillage and glyphosate postemergence was more effective than tillage alone or a preemergence application of sulfometuron regardless of rainfall conditions. To insure continued control of bermudagrass in the newly planted crop, fallow programs had to be followed by an at-planting preemergence application of terbacil and an application of metribuzin prior to bermudagrass emergence at the start of the plant-cane growing season. Use of the program described above would insure consistent bermudagrass control in sugarcane planted in Louisiana, and ultimately would result in an increase in cane and sugar yields in both the plant cane and the two subsequent ratoon crops.

Technical Abstract: Based on bermudagrass ground cover two wk prior to sugarcane planting, tillage plus glyphosate applied postemergence sequentially at 3360 followed by 2240 g ai/ha or a single application at 3360 g ai/ha during the summer fallow period was more effective than tillage alone. Effectiveness of tillage was enhanced when less rainfall was received during the summer fallow period the first year. Rainfall of less than 1 cm 20 d after preemergence application of sulfometuron at 150 g ai/ha in June resulted in 100% bermudagrass infestation the first year compared with 37% the second year with 15 cm of rainfall during the same period. Terbacil applied after sugarcane planting and metribuzin applied in February resulted in bermudagrass ground cover in May or June of 62% (experiment 1) and 2% (experiment 2) when sulfometuron was used during the summer fallow period, but no more than 5% when terbacil and metribuzin followed glyphosate plus tillage or tillage alone. In most cases, bermudagrass ground cover at that time was greater when the same glyphosate/tillage treatments were followed by atrazine after planting and pendimethalin plus atrazine in February compared with terbacil after planting and metribuzin in February. When after planting and February herbicide treatments were applied, sugarcane stalk population, height, and yield each were equivalent regardless of the previous fallow treatment imposed.