Inbred Corn Response to Acetamide Herbicides as Affected by Safeners and Microencapsulation

Abstract

Corn inbreds are often more sensitive to herbicides than hybrids. Field experiments were conducted with three corn inbreds to (1) evaluate inbred sensitivity to the acetamide herbicides acetochlor, dimethenamid, flufenacet, and metolachlor, (2) compare the effects of various crop safeners in combination with acetochlor and metolachlor, and (3) measure the effect of herbicide microencapsulation on acetochlor injury. Herbicides were applied preemergence at the registered rate and at two, three, or four times the registered rate in corn. Injury ratings, plant population, and the percentage of plants showing acetamide injury symptoms were used to measure herbicide effect. The inbreds ‘Mo17’ and ‘Great Lakes 15’ (GL15) were sensitive to acetamide injury. Reductions in plant population and increases in the injury rating and the percentage of injured plants were caused by acetochlor, dimethenamid, flufenacet, metolachlor, and flufenacet + metribuzin when applied at three times the registered rate. The inbred ‘B73’ was not injured. The safeners benoxacor and dichlormid reduced injury caused by metolachlor. The percentage of plants injured by metolachlor 15 days after treatment (DAT) was lower when benoxacor was the safener compared to dichlormid. By 28 DAT, plants treated with safeners recovered from injury, and there were no differences between the treatments. The safeners dichlormid and furilazole reduced, but did not always eliminate, injury caused by acetochlor applied at three times the registered rate. Microencapsulation of acetochlor reduced injury to GL15. When the safeners dichlormid or furilazole were included in an acetochlor formulation, microencapsulation did not further reduce corn injury.