Herbicide-Resistant Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Response to Soil Residues of ALS-Inhibiting Herbicides

Abstract

Sunflower lines developed to resist some acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides are susceptible to foliar applications of other ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Research was conducted to determine whether imidazolinone (IMI)- or sulfonylurea (SU)-resistant sunflower was affected by soil residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone. In greenhouse experiments, IMI-sunflower displayed 60 and 66% injury 4 wk after emergence with incorporated soil residues of metsulfuron at 4.2 g ai/ha and flucarbazone at 30 g ai/ha, respectively, but response to imazethapyr at 35 g ai/ ha was not different from that of nontreated plants. Metsulfuron at 4.2 g/ha and flucarbazone at 30 g/ha resulted in 56 and 72% less biomass accumulation, respectively, of IMI-sunflower compared with that of nontreated plants. Incorporated soil residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone did not cause significant injury or result in shorter plants or less biomass accumulation of SU-sunflower than nontreated sunflower in greenhouse experiments. In field experiments, nonincorporated residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone did not induce visible chlorosis or significant stunting of IMI- or SU-sunflower compared with nontreated sunflower. Herbicide-resistant sunflower growing in soil with nonincorporated residues of imazethapyr, metsulfuron, or flucarbazone produced seed yield similar to sunflower growing in sulfentrazone-treated soil or nontreated soil.