Herbicides Applied Sequentially for Economical Control of Annual Weeds in Sugarbeets (Beta vulgaris)

Abstract

Twelve sequential herbicide treatments were compared to cycloate (S-ethylN-ethylthiocyclohexanecarbamate), a standard treatment, for control of annual weeds in sugarbeets (Beta vulgarisL.) in three field experiments conducted from 1971 through 1977. At harvest, seven sequential treatments had less than 10 annual broadleaf weeds per 30 m of row, whereas there were 40 broadleaf weeds per 30 m of row for the cycloate treatment. Four of these sequential treatments had significantly higher root yields and net returns than the cycloate treatment. Dependent on the sequential treatment and year, tonnage was increased 7.3 to 20.3 t/ha, and net returns $150 to $515/ha above those with cycloate. The most effective sequential treatment for control of weeds was a preplanting mixture of 2.2 kg/ha of ethofumesate [(±)-2-ethoxy-2,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-5-benzofuranyl methanesulfonate] plus 1.7 kg/ha of diclofop {2-[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenoxy] propanoic acid} followed by a postemergence mixture of 0,6 kg/ha each of desmedipham [ethylm-hydroxycarbanilate carbanilate (ester)] plus phenmedipham (methylm-hydroxycarbanilatem-methylcarbanilate). This sequential herbicide treatment increased root yields by an average of 20.3 t/ha and net returns by $515/ha above those with cycloate.