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Weed Control on Warm Season Perennial Grass Pastures with Clovers 1
Author(s) -
Evers G. W.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1983.0011183x002300010048x
Subject(s) - paspalum notatum , cynodon dactylon , simazine , agronomy , biology , perennial plant , paspalum , weed control , trifolium subterraneum , digitaria , weed , lawn , botany , pasture , pesticide , atrazine
Spring weeds in perennial grass pastures compete for limited nutrients and moisture and may lower palatability of the available for age. Mowing and a limited number of herbicides are the principal available methods of control in established pastures. Cool season clovers, which emerge in the fall and form a solid canopy during the winter, should have a competitive advantage over spring weeds. ‘Coastal’ bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) and ‘Pensacola’ bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flugge) sods were 1) overseeded with ‘Yuchi’ arrowleaf ( Trifolium vesiculosum Savi.) or ‘Mt. Barker’ subterranean ( Trifolium subterraneum L.) clovers, 2) fertilized with 0, 84, 168, 252, or 336 kg N/ha or 3) fertilized with 0, 84, and 168 kg N/ha and sprayed with 1.1 kg/ha of simazine [2‐chloro‐4,6‐bis(ethylamino)‐s‐triazine]. Simazine substantially reduced spring weed yields to less than 500 kg/ha on Coastal bermudagrass and 200 kg/ha on Pensacola bahiagrass. Weed production on grass sods overseeded with clovers was not significantly different from the simazine treated plots. By the second year, weeds were essentially elimated from the plots overseeded with clover. These data demonstrate that clovers can play a major role in integrated pest management programs for warm season perennial grass pastures.