Selective herbicides to control grass seeds in transplanted tomatoes and peppers

Abstract

Quizalofop and fluazifop were evaluated as monocot weed control agents in transplanted peppers and tomatoes at the semiarid AES-UPR Fortuna Agricultural Substation. An additional trial was conducted to evaluate a sequential treatment of metribuzin and fluazifop for multiple weed species control in tomatoes. In the first two trials, both quizalofop and fluazifop provided an excellent control of grass species Echinochloa colona, Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine indica, and Leptochloa filiformis. These weeds were controlled with quizalofop at 0.112 and 0.224 kg ai/ha and with fluazifop at 0.28 and 0.56 kg ai/ha. None of the herbicides produced any apparent injury to peppers and tomatoes. The sequential treatment of metribuzin and fluazifop, 15 days later at 0.56 kg ai/ha, was highly effective against both grass and broadleaf weeds in tomatoes. This treatment caused no apparent injury.