Impact of cultivars and herbicides on weed management in alfalfa

Abstract

Weeds, especially dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber in F.H. Wigg.), tend to infest a forage alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stand 2 to 4 yr after establishment. To develop better weed management systems, experiments were conducted at Lethbridge, Alberta, from 1995 to 2002 and Creston, British Columbia, from 1998 to 2001, which included the alfalfa cultivars Beaver (standard type) and AC Blue J (Flemish type) and annual applications of metribuzin and hexazinone. These herbicides are registered for weed control in irrigated alfalfa in Alberta and alfalfa grown for seed. In addition, two sulfonylurea herbicides, metsulfuron and sulfosulfuron, and glyphosate were included. All of the herbicides except glyphosate controlled or suppressed dandelion and mustard family weeds. Metsulfuron at 5 g a.i. ha-1 almost completely controlled dandelion at both locations. However, after metsulfuron application at Lethbridge, dandelion was replaced with an infestation of downy brome, which is unpalatable for cattle. None of the herbicides increased total forage (alfalfa + weed) yield, and in some instances herbicides reduced forage quality by causing a shift from a palatable to an unpalatable weed species. However, it was observed that AC Blue J consistently yielded more than Beaver, and weed biomass was consistently less in the higher-yielding cultivar. AC Blue J was developed primarily for the irrigated area in southern Alberta and for southern British Columbia. Therefore, additional experiments should be conducted to determine which alfalfa cultivars have the greatest ability to compete with weeds in other regions of western Canada. Key words: Alfalfa yield, dandelion, forage quality, weed control