Field experiences with recent ALS-inhibitors on herbicide resistant blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.)

In the growing season 2002-2003 two field experiments were carried out in winter wheat on the heavy clay soil of the coastal polder area at Zevekote to study the response of blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) resistant or somewhat less sensitive to a wide variety of herbicides (clodinafop-propargyl, fenoxaprop-P-ethy1; flupyrsulfuron-methyl+metsulfuron-methyl, propoxycarbazone-sodium; isoproturon) representing various modes of action. In Experiment 1, preemergence applications of isoproturon+diflufenican (1500+187.5 g/ha) and isoproturon+diflufenican+flurtamone (1250+100+250 g/ha) respectively were followed in mid-March (Zadoks: 23) by one of the following treatments: none, propoxycarbazone-sodium + vegetable oil (42 g/ha + 1 l/ha), mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium (+mefenpyr-diethyl) + vegetable oil (15+3 (+45) g/ha + 1 l/ha), clodinafop-propargyl (+cloquintocet-mexyl) {60 (+15) g/ha} and flupyrsulfuron-methyl+metsulfuron-methyl (10+5 g/ha). Systems based on clodinafop-propargyl, propoxycarbazone-sodium or flupyrsulfuron-methyl+metsulfuron-methyl resulted in poor supplementary control of blackgrass compared to preemergence herbicide application only. On the contrary, systems based on postemergence application of mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium resulted in excellent control. In most cases the few surviving plants failed to produce inflorescences. In Experiment 2, fall applications in the 3 leaves stage (Zadoks: 13) of prosulfocarb + isoxaben (4000+75 g/ha), flufenacet + diflufenican + isoxaben (240+120+75 g/ha) and flufenacet + pendimethalin + chlorotoluron (180+900+1000 g/ha) respectively were followed in mid-March (Zadoks: 23) by one of the following treatments: none, propoxycarbazone-sodium + vegetable oil (42 g/ha+l l/ha), mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium (+mefenpyr-diethyl) + vegetable oil {15+3 (+45) g/ha + 1 l/ha}, clodinafop-propargyl (+cloquintocet-mexyl) {60 (+15) g/ha}, flupyrsulfuron-methyl + metsulfuron-methyl (10+5 g/ha) and isoproturon+diflufenican (1000+125 g/ha). As in Experiment 1, systems based on clodinafop-propargyl, propoxycarbazone-sodium or flupyrsulfuron-methyl+metsulfuron-methyl resulted in poor additional control of blackgrass compared to herbicide application in the fall only. Comparable poor levels of blackgrass control could be observed with isoproturon+diflufenican. Mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium resulted in excellent control comparable to that recorded in Experiment 1.