Preemergence Herbicide Effects upon Hybrid Bermudagrass Sprigged Establishment.

PREEMERGENCE HERBICIDE EFFECTS UPON HYBRID BERMUDAGRASS SPRIGGED ESTABLISHMENT

By

Erick Begitschke, Jay McCurdy, Paul Tseng, Casey Barickman, Barry Stewart, Christian Baldwin, Michael Richard, Mario Tomaso-Peterson, Jason Ward*

Abstract:

Preemergence herbicides often negatively affect establishment of sprigged hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy). However, limited research has quantified the effects of preemergence herbicides commonly used in warm-season sod production of the southeastern United States. An on-going research study is being conducted at Mississippi State University to evaluate the effects of atrazine (1.12 kg ha^-1), atrazine (1.12 kg ha^-1) + S-metolachlor (0.86 kg ha^-1), dithiopyr (0.56 kg ha^-1), flumioxazin (0.286 kg ha^-1), indaziflam (0.033 kg ha^-1), liquid and granular applied oxadiazon (2.24 kg ha^-1), S-metolachlor (2.78 kg ha^-1), pendimethalin (1.66 kg ha^-1), prodiamine (0.594 kg ha^-1), and simazine (2.24 kg ha^-1) on sprigged ‘Latitude 36’ hybrid bermudagrass establishment. In Year 1, dithiopyr (78 d), simazine (66 d), flumioxazin (74 d), S-metolachlor (74 d), and indaziflam (137 d) visually increased days to reach 50% hybrid bermudagrass cover compared to the nontreated (52 d). Prodiamine (94 d), dithiopyr (88 d), simazine (78 d), flumioxazin (87 d), S-metolachlor (77 d) also increased days to reach 50% maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in Year 1. Only liquid applied oxadiazon and indaziflam reduced sod tensile strength at harvest. Year 1 results suggest that although several preemergence herbicide treatments delay hybrid bermudagrass grow-in, only indaziflam and liquid applied oxadiazon negatively affect sod tensile strength at harvest. Year 2 data will also be presented.